FiFoDiDo Editorial · 9 October 2026
Sandvik Is Sending Engineers Around the World to Learn Mining. Here's What It Means for Your Career
Sandvik's new two-year program takes engineers to nine universities and a dozen mines. Here's what it says about where mining careers are heading, and what you can do about it without going back to uni.
Mining has plenty of people who are very good at one job. Sandvik, the Swedish equipment maker, has decided it also needs people who understand how a whole mine fits together.
What Sandvik has launched
In March 2026 Sandvik started a two-year postgraduate program that revives its old Sandvik International Mining School. It runs through a group of nine mining universities, led by the Colorado School of Mines.
The current group began in Colorado and is moving on to South Africa, Chile, Europe and Australia before heading back to the US. Along the way they visit more than a dozen operating mines. The subjects include geology, mine design, automation, electrification, sustainability and mine closure.
Who it's for
This isn't a public course. It's for Sandvik's own people: engineers and other technical staff who aren't mining engineers and don't come from a mining background. Around 20 people a cohort are picked through nomination, testing and evaluation.
Sandvik says the focus isn't product training. The aim is for staff to understand how mining systems and processes work, so they can design and support equipment properly for the people who use it.
Why it matters if you work on site
One company's training program doesn't speak for the whole industry. But it points the same way as what many people see on site. Automation, electrification and sustainability work mean your job touches more of the operation than it used to.
That's our take, not Sandvik's. Some ways workers can widen their view:
- Diesel fitter: learn how battery-electric equipment and condition monitoring change maintenance.
- Process operator: understand the plant data and controls behind the numbers you watch.
- Geologist: get familiar with mine planning and ore control, not just the model.
- Tradesperson: get comfortable with digital work orders and planned maintenance systems.
Ways to build the bigger picture without going back to uni
- Ask what happens before and after your job. Where does your work come from, and where does it go next?
- Say yes to variety. Shutdown work, secondments, acting roles and a different commodity or mine type all widen your experience.
- Do short courses and vendor training when your employer offers them. Keep your tickets and licences current.
- Record what you've worked on. List the commodities, sites and equipment in your resume and your profile.
- Moving across from another industry? Mechanical, electrical, automation, data and project skills carry over. Learn the basics of site safety, rosters and how an operation runs. Our guide to getting into mining is a good starting point.
Find roles that fit
Don't search only by job title. Try searching by commodity, mine type and roster as well. Our work site guides show what different mines are like, and you can browse all current jobs or build a free profile and set up email alerts.
Sources