People Skills for Mining Engineers, an Important Addition to the Curriculum

Authors

  • Amy J. Richins Department of Mining Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
  • Michael G. Nelson Department of Mining Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15273/ijge.2018.03.013

Keywords:

management, leadership, education, emotional intelligence

Abstract

Engineering education is very effective at training students in critical thinking and analytical skills however, these engineers often transition into management in their organization.  These roles require an additional set of skills.  Obviously an understanding of business and finance is required but even more important is the ability to work effectively with people.  Based on their experience in industry and academia the authors have developed methods to introduce these skills to engineering undergraduates.  The mining safety and health management course that has been offered for several years at the University of Utah has been modified to include such topics as emotional intelligence, leadership, and corporate culture development.  This paper describes those changes and students‘ reactions to them.

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Published

2018-07-20