May 30, 2025

Traditional technical training required in the mining industry is falling behind due to rapid technological advances and the need to adapt and respond to a variety of challenges.

The Chilean Large-Scale Mining Workforce Study 2023–2032, developed by the CCM-Eleva Alliance, included a survey targeting human resources professionals to identify the main difficulties in operator and maintenance technician profiles.

In both profiles, one of the most mentioned issues was the lack of digital skills among candidates applying for these positions. Additionally, the survey asked what percentage of current mining roles are associated with new technologies—revealing the greatest perception of insufficiency: 44% of respondents rated the digital knowledge of current workers as insufficient, and 36% gave the same assessment for new hires.

This would support the need to update training programs to include skills relevant to the digital age. According to Carlos Silva, professor at the Faculty of Engineering and Sciences at Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez and researcher at the CENTRA-UAI Center for Energy Transition, the traditional training model is “completely obsolete.” In this new context, he says, academic programs should aim to develop professionals “who learn how to learn,” and he emphasizes that “these skills must not focus solely on technical matters,” in an industry that is now multidisciplinary.

Bárbara Veyl, Director of Outreach, Innovation, and Studies at OTIC CChC, states that one of the main challenges lies in the digital literacy of workers—a field in which companies “have invested significantly” so that employees can operate necessary tools and access advanced technologies such as AI.

A key point is that training should focus on the most critical roles, which, according to Mauricio Tapia Rubilar, lead consultant and general manager of M&G Mining Consulting, are heavy machinery operators and autonomous equipment technicians in medium and large-scale mining. “The main competencies and skills currently being prioritized include basic and advanced digital literacy, use of monitoring and remote-control platforms, and operational data analysis,” he adds.