flagship course

Minerals and Resource Management

Identify minerals, read maps and simple grades, plan safe and legal extraction, process ore, and restore land with community care.

about this course

What you will be able to do

L4 Practitioner8 modules · 45 h lessons plus practice

Identify minerals, read maps and simple grades, plan safe and legal extraction, process ore, and restore land with community care.

Identify common minerals by simple tests.
Apply grade, tonnage and recovery calculations.
Analyse a site for safety and environmental risk.
Evaluate legal permissions and community effects.
Create a closure and land restoration plan.

Task, condition and standard

Task

Study a sample site or case, estimate its ore, plan safe working and write a restoration plan with legal and community steps.

Condition

About 12 weeks part-time. Mineral samples, a hardness kit, a map and a compass or phone mapping, a scale, a mentor.

Standard

Eight of ten minerals are identified correctly; tonnage and grade calculations are correct; the risk register covers dust, water, slope and noise; the closure plan has dated actions.

Who it is for: Geology and mining students, surveyors, supervisors, environment officers, small recovery operators. Requirements: Basic arithmetic and fitness for outdoor field work. Materials: lesson text, templates, rubric, check with answers.

lesson by lesson

8 modules with worked examples

Module 1 Minerals and rocks 5 hIdentify

Sort rocks into igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic.
Test colour, streak, shine and cleavage.
Use the Mohs scale: a nail scratches minerals up to hardness 2.5 and a steel knife up to about 5.5.
Record each sample with a number and place.

Worked example. A grey mineral with a black streak that a nail cannot scratch but a knife can is hardness between 2.5 and 5.5.

Activity. Identify ten samples with the test results.

Standard to meet. Name at least 8 of 10 with evidence.

Module 2 Maps, location and sampling 6 hApply

Read a topographic map with contours and scale.
Mark sample points by grid or phone location and record them.
Collect samples from set spacing, for example every 50 metres.
Label bags and keep a chain of custody log.

Worked example. A 500 metre line sampled every 50 metres gives 11 samples including both ends.

Activity. Plan and mark a sampling line on a map.

Standard to meet. Calculate spacing and sample count correctly and label them.

Module 3 Grade, tonnage and value 6 hApply

Grade is the percent of the useful mineral in the rock.
Tonnage equals volume times density.
Metal in ore equals tonnage times grade.
Use cut-off grade, the lowest grade worth mining.

Worked example. An ore body of 10000 cubic metres at density 2.7 is 27000 tonnes; at 1.5 percent grade it holds 405 tonnes of metal.

Activity. Calculate tonnage and metal for three blocks.

Standard to meet. Calculate all values correctly and show units.

Module 4 Safe and legal extraction 6 hEvaluate

Check that a lease, environmental clearance and permissions are in place before work.
Wear helmet, boots, dust mask, ear defenders and high visibility clothing.
Keep slopes and benches at the designed angle and inspect after rain.
Never work alone near edges, blasting or machines; follow the licensed blaster rules.

Worked example. A bench 6 metres high needs a working floor wide enough for the machines and people on it, with the width set by the approved plan and the current local mine safety rules; the slope after rain is inspected before any work restarts.

Activity. Review a site against a legal and safety checklist.

Standard to meet. Mark every item met or not met and give an action.

Module 5 Processing and recovery 6 hApply

Crush and grind ore to free the mineral.
Separate by size, gravity or other method suited to the ore.
Calculate recovery as metal in product divided by metal in feed.
Keep tailings in a lined and managed area.

Worked example. Feed of 100 tonnes at 2 percent holds 2 tonnes of metal; the concentrate holds 1.7 tonnes, so recovery is 85 percent.

Activity. Calculate recovery for two plant runs.

Standard to meet. Calculate recovery values correctly and name a loss point.

Module 6 Environment, water and dust 5 hAnalyse

List risks: dust, noise, water use, acid drainage, loss of habitat.
Measure water used per tonne and set a reuse target.
Use sprinklers, covers and green belts to control dust.
Test nearby water before work, during work and after, and keep the results.

Worked example. A plant using 1.5 cubic metres of water per tonne reuses 40 percent, so fresh use falls to 0.9 cubic metres per tonne.

Activity. Build a risk register for a site.

Standard to meet. Complete a register covering five risks with controls and owners.

Module 7 Community, rights and circular recovery 5 hEvaluate

Hold meetings with local people and record concerns and replies.
Respect land rights, local employment and fair pay.
Recover metal from scrap and old equipment to cut new mining.
Report production and payments to the authority honestly.

Worked example. A scrap yard recovering 3 tonnes of copper cable a month avoids mining about 300 tonnes of ore at 1 percent grade.

Activity. Prepare a community consultation record.

Standard to meet. Write and date the concerns, replies and commitments.

Module 8 Capstone: site study and closure plan 6 hCreate

Summarise samples, tonnage and recovery.
State permits needed and safety controls.
Plan closure: reshape slopes, return topsoil, plant native trees.
Set dated actions, costs and a five-year monitoring plan.

Worked example. Closure of 2 hectares: 15 cm topsoil layer, 2000 saplings at 1 per 10 square metres, monitoring twice a year for five years.

Activity. Present the study and the plan.

Standard to meet. Plan has dated steps, costs and monitoring that tie to the risks.

assessment

How you are checked

Evidence: the work product from each module, kept in one folder with dates. A mentor and two peers mark it with this rubric. Pass: no criterion at 'Not yet'.

Marking rubric
Criterion	Not yet	Meets	Exceeds
Calculations	Missing or unclear	Meets the stated check	Correct with units and checks
Compliance	Guessing	Evidence kept	Permits, safety and community steps all evidenced
Records	Gaps	Complete	Complete and reviewed by a peer
Safety and ethics	Overlooked	Followed	Followed and taught to others

Ten-question check, with model answers

Q1. What does streak show?

Model answer: The colour of the powder, which is more reliable than surface colour. (Covered in module 1: Minerals and rocks. To pass that module: Name at least 8 of 10 with evidence.)

Q2. Why record the exact point of each sample?

Model answer: Results can then be traced to place on a map. (Covered in module 2: Maps, location and sampling. To pass that module: Calculate spacing and sample count correctly and label them.)

Q3. How much metal is in 2000 tonnes at 2 percent?

Model answer: 40 tonnes. (Covered in module 3: Grade, tonnage and value. To pass that module: Calculate all values correctly and show units.)

Q4. Why inspect slopes after rain?

Model answer: Water weakens ground and can cause collapse. (Covered in module 4: Safe and legal extraction. To pass that module: Mark every item met or not met and give an action.)

Q5. What is recovery?

Model answer: The share of metal in the feed that ends up in the product. (Covered in module 5: Processing and recovery. To pass that module: Calculate recovery values correctly and name a loss point.)

Q6. Why test water before work starts?

Model answer: It gives a baseline to show any later change. (Covered in module 6: Environment, water and dust. To pass that module: Complete a register covering five risks with controls and owners.)

Q7. Why record community concerns?

Model answer: They show promises made and let you check they were kept. (Covered in module 7: Community, rights and circular recovery. To pass that module: Write and date the concerns, replies and commitments.)

Q8. What shows that restoration worked?

Model answer: Stable slopes, living plant cover and clean water results. (Covered in module 8: Capstone: site study and closure plan. To pass that module: Plan has dated steps, costs and monitoring that tie to the risks.)

Q9. Why keep a chain of custody for samples?

Model answer: It proves where each sample came from and that it was not changed. (Covered in: Task, condition and standard, near the top of this page.)

Q10. What is cut-off grade?

Model answer: The lowest grade that still pays to mine. (Covered in: Task, condition and standard, near the top of this page.)

seven levels

Your ladder, L1 to L7

This course sits at L4 Practitioner. Each level adds to the one below.

L1 Basic. Know common minerals and terms.
L2 Awareness. Explain how ore becomes metal.
L3 Foundation. Sample and calculate under guidance.
L4 Practitioner. Plan a small site alone.
L5 Specialist. Supervise safety and operations.
L6 Advanced. Manage a site with environmental targets.
L7 Super expert. Set policy and review sites across a region.

Slide by slide

Seven slides, one per level. Open each for the slide text and the speaker notes.

Slide 1 L1 Basic: Minerals and terms

Identify 8 common minerals by colour, hardness and streak, and define 6 key terms such as ore, grade and tailings.

Speaker notes. Teacher gives 8 sample rocks and checks the names and one property each. Covered in module 1.

Slide 2 L2 Awareness: Ore to metal chain

Explain the steps from ore to metal in order, naming 5 stages and one loss or hazard in each stage.

Speaker notes. Teacher asks how copper ore becomes metal and checks the stage order. Covered in module 5.

Slide 3 L3 Foundation: Sampling and grade sums

Take a sample under guidance, record its location and weight, and calculate grade and value for 3 samples within 5 percent error.

Speaker notes. Teacher reruns one calculation from the sample sheet. Covered in modules 2 and 3.

Slide 4 L4 Practitioner: Small site plan

Plan a small site alone with a map, a sampling grid of at least 10 points, a safe method and a cost table. Check local licence rules with an expert.

Speaker notes. Teacher checks the grid points are plotted and the permit steps are listed. Covered in module 4.

Slide 5 L5 Specialist: Safety and operations lead

Supervise a crew of 6 through 2 weeks of operations with a daily safety talk, an incident log and zero unreported incidents.

Speaker notes. Teacher reads the incident log against the crew report.

Slide 6 L6 Advanced: Site with environmental targets

Manage a site with 3 measured targets for water, dust and waste, and show monthly readings that meet each target.

Speaker notes. Teacher compares the readings to the target line. Check local rules with an expert.

Slide 7 L7 Super expert: Regional policy review

Review 5 sites against a written policy covering rights, safety and closure, and write a 2-page report ranking them with evidence.

Speaker notes. Teacher checks every ranking is backed by a site record.

career routes

Roles, routes and subjects

These routes come from the India pathway tables. They show where this course leads, in my own words.

Career role families

Mineral surveyor
Process engineer
Mining analyst
Circular economy consultant
Environment, social and governance officer

Ways to work: Employed in mining firms and consultancies; recovery-unit entrepreneur; freelance data and mapping services; contract compliance and safety audits. Who buys: Resource supply to businesses, government geology departments, sustainability advice, training and certification. Learner journey: Exploration, extraction, use, reclamation, renewal.

Three subject axes
Axis	Subjects	What it gives you
Foundational knowledge	Geology, mineralogy, resource mapping, remote sensing, mineral identification	Base for mining or consulting careers.
Applied operations	Extraction technology, safety, ore beneficiation, water reuse, circular recovery and recycling	Practical, employable skills for small firms and operators.
Digital and ESG integration	Mine automation, data analytics, carbon accounting, ESG reporting	Future-proof skills for digital and green work.

jobs this leads to

Where this takes you

Mineral surveyor
Mine safety supervisor
Process technician
Environment officer
Recycling and recovery operator

ten locations and global

Your place

Local rules change licences, data handling, pricing words and names of bodies. Check them for your place before you act.

India (Bengaluru)

Language: English, Hindi, Kannada. Currency: INR. Data rule for what you publish: Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023. Skills frame to cite: National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) and the national credit framework.

Netherlands (Eindhoven area)

Language: Dutch, English. Currency: EUR. Data rule for what you publish: EU GDPR (Dutch: AVG), supervised by the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens. Skills frame to cite: the Dutch qualification framework (NLQF) linked to the European Qualifications Framework.

UAE (Dubai and Abu Dhabi)

Language: Arabic, English. Currency: AED. Data rule for what you publish: Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 (personal data protection). Skills frame to cite: the emirate education and training regulators (for example KHDA in Dubai) and the national qualifications framework.

Brazil (Sao Paulo)

Language: Portuguese (Spanish and English support). Currency: BRL. Data rule for what you publish: LGPD (Lei Geral de Protecao de Dados). Skills frame to cite: the national technical-education catalogue and the national S-system training bodies.

Canada (Toronto)

Language: English, French. Currency: CAD. Data rule for what you publish: PIPEDA, with provincial rules where they apply. Skills frame to cite: the provincial colleges framework and the national credential-recognition guidance.

United States

Language: English, Spanish. Currency: USD. Data rule for what you publish: state privacy laws (for example California), and COPPA for children under 13. Skills frame to cite: state and community-college credit systems.

Singapore

Language: English, Mandarin, Malay, Tamil. Currency: SGD. Data rule for what you publish: Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). Skills frame to cite: the Singapore national skills frameworks and the national credit system.

Australia

Language: English. Currency: AUD. Data rule for what you publish: the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles. Skills frame to cite: the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) levels.

Hong Kong (Eastern Asia)

Language: Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin), English. Currency: HKD. Data rule for what you publish: the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance. Skills frame to cite: the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework.

Georgia and Israel (Western Asia)

Language: Georgian, Hebrew, Arabic, English. Currency: GEL or ILS. Data rule for what you publish: the personal data law of the country where the learner lives. Skills frame to cite: the national qualifications framework of that country.

Cayman Islands (Caribbean)

Language: English. Currency: KYD. Data rule for what you publish: the Data Protection Act. Skills frame to cite: the local education and training framework.

Mexico

Language: Spanish, English. Currency: MXN. Data rule for what you publish: the federal law on personal data held by private parties. Skills frame to cite: the national competency certification system and the education ministry levels.

Draft

Draft flagship. Own wording. Not live.

Risk lesson (estimates, not quotes). In India a rough sheet figure is Rs 2,800 per tonne sold against a unit cost of Rs 2,100 and a fixed cost of Rs 250,000 a month: a margin of about 25% and a break-even of about 358 units a month. If the price falls 25% to about Rs 2,100, it is at or below the unit cost of Rs 2,100, so every sale loses money and there is no break-even. Plan a price floor or a lower cost before you launch. These sheet figures are separate from the sample numbers in the modules. Check them with a local price expert.