Oyu Tolgoi LLC and Rio Tinto in partnership with the Mongolian
University of Science and Technology (MUST) today launched a joint
project to build and develop the capability of geotechnical and mining
professionals in Mongolia
Rio Tinto Mongolia and Oyu Tolgoi LLC
will provide $2.75 million in funding for the project, which will run
until the end of 2025. The initiative was officially launched today with
a cooperation agreement signed by Kh.Amarjargal, Country Director of
Rio Tinto Mongolia, Armando Torres, Chief Executive Officer ofOyu Tolgoi
LLC, and B. Ochirbat, President of the Mongolian University of Science
and Technology. The ceremony was witnessed by L. Enkh-Amgalan, Minister
of Education and Science, B. Elbegzaya, head of the Policy
Implementation Directorate at the Ministry of Mining and Heavy
Industries, and B. Bold, Chief Executive, Rio Tinto Copper.
During
the signing ceremony, Kh. Amarjargal, said: “Rio Tinto is a world
leader with 148 years of experience and produces materials that are
essential to human progress. An important part of our success has always
been our talented engineers, technicians and skilled geotechnicians. I
am very happy, particularly as a Mongolian, that the next generation of
skilled professionals is going to be trained in Mongolia, and that the
foundation is being laid for training of nationally and globally
competitive mining and geotechnical engineers. I hope that this program,
which will provide upskilling opportunities not only in Mongolia but
also in Australia, USA and other global operations of Rio Tinto, will
break new ground for the development of the university and the mining
industry.”
The Oyu Tolgoi project currently has experienced
geotechnical team in Mongolia. This team has been working in the open
pit since the exploration phase and has been using the latest
geophysical equipment to measure boreholes highlighting the importance
of geotechnics for Oyu Tolgoi. These skills are integral to ensuring the
safety of people, the safety of the operations, and the long-term
health of the operations. “Geotechnical studies determine whether it is
feasible to use block caving methods in the underground mine, where 80
per cent of the Oyu Tolgoi deposit reserves lie. They determine the
physical and technical properties, and the stability and design of the
underground mine. Therefore, I am very happy that geotechnical
specialists, who are the lifeblood of mining and other sectors such as
construction and infrastructure development, are being trained in
Mongolia.” said Armando Torres.
B.Ochirbat said: “Only the world’s
top mining schools have a specialised geotechnical faculty. In our
country, with the exception of specialists, who studied in the former
Soviet Union, it can be said that we have not trained mine
geotechnicians. However, the funding from Rio Tinto and Oyu Tolgoi
enables our University to have an internationally accredited
geotechnical course. This will bring us one step closer to achieving our
goal of becoming a competitive research center in Asia, enabling us to
enroll students not only from Mongolia but also from other countries and
train mining professionals. This project is breaking new ground in
higher education in Mongolia as it paves the way to develop education
and research through leveraging the University-Corporate Partnership.” .
About the Project
On
19 April 2019, Oyu Tolgoi LLC and the School of Geology and Mining of
the Mongolian University of Science and Technology signed a Memorandum
of Understanding on “Mining Geotechnical Professionals Capability
Development Project”. In this context, Mongolia’s first bachelor’s
degree program in geotechnics has been launched and currently 25
first-year students are successfully undertaking the course.
The
$2.75 million commitment is the largest private sector investment in
education in Mongolia. The support from Rio Tinto and Oyu Tolgoi will
build the capability of geotechnical professionals, the lifeblood of
underground mining. As part of this commitment, Oyu Tolgoi is planning
to establish a rock analysis laboratory at the Mongolian University of
Science and Technology with $300,000, and under a tripartite agreement
signed on 1 April, 2021, $2.42 million will be provided by Rio Tinto
Mongolia and Oyu Tolgoi. The project, which will run until 2025, will
jointly address a shortage of skills required for mining, especially
underground mining, and the challenges facing production. The project
will result in the development and international accreditation at a
bachelor’s and master’s level in geotechnics in Mongolia and a
research-based curriculum as follows:
- MUST will have an internationally recognised program
- Highly competitive graduates
- Increased research output for the mining industry
- State-of-the-art mining geotechnical laboratory
- Increased opportunities for joint international research
- Continuous professional development of lecturers and highly skilled faculty
- Model program for the higher education reform and development, a pressing need in Mongolia.
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