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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Underground Intern

💰 $18 - $30 / hour

MiningEngineeringGeologyUnderground OperationsInternship

🎯 Role Definition

As an Underground Intern, you will work directly with operations, engineering, and geology teams to support safe, compliant and efficient underground mining activities. This entry-level role combines hands-on field exposure, data capture and analysis, and process support — providing practical experience in ground control, ventilation monitoring, drilling and blasting oversight, mapping/surveying, and production reporting. You will be coached by supervisors and mentors to learn underground protocols, contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, and support daily shift activities while maintaining a strict safety-first mindset.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Mining or geology co-op student seeking underground exposure.
  • Surface operations intern transitioning to underground assignments.
  • Laboratory or field technician looking to gain mine-site experience.

Advancement To:

  • Underground Technician / Junior Mine Technician
  • Graduate Mining Engineer or Mine Geologist
  • Shift Supervisor / Production Supervisor
  • Site Safety Representative / Ventilation Officer

Lateral Moves:

  • Mine Surveyor / Survey Technician
  • Maintenance Planner or Mechanical Technician

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Assist supervisors and senior engineers with daily underground production activities, including preparing work areas, confirming access controls, and ensuring proper tagging and barricading of active headings to maintain compliance with mine-site safety protocols.
  • Conduct pre-shift and post-shift inspections of development headings and drawpoints, documenting ground conditions, rib and back stability, and communicating hazards through formal hazard reports and toolbox talks.
  • Support drilling and blasting operations by coordinating with drill crews, recording hole and pattern details, verifying drill logs, and maintaining blast records to support regulatory compliance and reconciliation efforts.
  • Participate in ground control installation activities — assisting with installation of roof bolts, mesh, shotcrete oversight, scaling, and pad preparation under the direction of experienced technicians and engineers.
  • Carry out routine ventilation checks and environmental monitoring, including reading and recording airflow, gas detector readings (methane, CO), and temperature; escalate unsafe readings and support corrective ventilation actions.
  • Collect geological data underground: assist with face mapping, sample collection (channel, grab, chip), logging sample intervals, and preparing samples for lab submission to support grade control and reconciliation.
  • Perform laser surveying and as-built updates in development headings and production areas using total stations, laser distance meters, or mine survey software; validate mine models and update daily progress surveys.
  • Support equipment operators and maintenance teams with basic inspection routines, pre-start checks, and reporting equipment defects to maintain operational availability and support safe equipment operation underground.
  • Maintain accurate production and shift reports by entering tonnes, metres developed, bolting counts, and other KPIs into mine reporting systems (e.g., Deswik, Surpac, Maptek, corporate ERP) to ensure real-time production tracking.
  • Assist with backfill and cemented paste fill activities by monitoring placement, logging volumes, sampling backfill mixes, and recording curing progress to support stope stability and reclamation plans.
  • Support blasting post-inspection, mucking and cleaning of headings after blasts, and prepare work areas for follow-up operations to reduce non-productive time and improve cycle efficiency.
  • Help coordinate contractor crews underground: track work scopes, ensure permits and inductions are current, and verify contractors follow site safety and environmental requirements.
  • Participate in structured mine rescue and emergency response drills; maintain familiarity with refuge chamber locations, escape ways, and emergency communications systems.
  • Collect and analyze small-batch data for routine QA/QC: log assay returns, reconcile sample metadata, and flag abnormal results for the geology or QA/QC lead.
  • Contribute to risk assessments, job hazard analyses (JHAs), and method statements for routine tasks, and support the preparation and review of safe work permits for specialist activities.
  • Assist environmental monitoring efforts: inspect sump levels, water management features, spill containment, and report any non-conformances to environmental officers.
  • Support the implementation of continuous improvement projects by gathering baseline data, participating in root cause analyses, and trialing small-scale process improvements under supervision.
  • Maintain and organize underground spares, consumables, and safety equipment inventories; coordinate minor ordering and tagging activities to support uninterrupted operations.
  • Input and maintain digital field records, photos, and GIS layers to enrich the site’s spatial data repository and support downstream mine planning and reconciliation teams.
  • Assist in preparing shift handover documentation and communication packs, helping provide continuity between crews and ensuring critical operational and safety information is passed on accurately.
  • Shadow senior engineers during stope design, ground control planning, and geotechnical monitoring tasks to gain exposure to engineering decision-making and design constraints in underground environments.
  • Support surface-based activities related to underground operations, such as coordinating sample delivery, assisting in laboratory chain-of-custody documentation, and preparing materials for engineering or regulatory submissions.
  • Participate in training and competency programs, complete required online and site-based modules (e.g., first aid, working at heights, confined space), and demonstrate safe working practices at all times.
  • Capture photographic and video documentation of underground conditions, work progress, and equipment setup for reporting, troubleshooting, and training purposes.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
  • Assist with administrative tasks: filing reports, updating checklists, and maintaining training records for the underground team.
  • Attend cross-functional meetings to represent the intern team and communicate ground-level observations that may affect production or safety.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Basic understanding of underground mining methods (cut-and-fill, longhole stoping, room-and-pillar, sublevel stoping) and the ability to apply method-specific safety considerations.
  • Familiarity with drilling and blasting terminology, drill logs, and blast pattern documentation (no explosives handling instruction included; work under direct supervision).
  • Practical skills in underground surveying and as-built data capture using total stations, laser distance meters, or survey apps.
  • Competence with mine design and planning software or exposure to tools such as Deswik, Surpac, Maptek, Leapfrog, AutoCAD, or equivalent.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, basic macros) for production reporting and data reconciliation.
  • Experience with digital data capture tools (tablets, rugged laptops, field data collection apps) and ability to maintain data integrity in field environments.
  • Knowledge of ground control concepts (roof bolting, mesh, shotcrete, scaling) and ability to support installation and inspection activities.
  • Familiarity with ventilation fundamentals and use of portable gas detectors and airflow measurement devices.
  • Basic geological logging skills: sample logging, rock type identification, simple structural measurements, and chain-of-custody procedures.
  • Ability to read mechanical and engineering drawings, stope designs and simple geotechnical reports.
  • Experience or exposure to mine safety management systems, permit-to-work systems, and incident reporting procedures.
  • Competence in use of GPS, GIS layers, and spatial data formats pertinent to mine planning and mapping.

Soft Skills

  • Strong safety-first attitude with the ability to stop work when hazards are identified and escalate appropriately.
  • Clear verbal and written communication skills for effective handovers, reporting, and stakeholder engagement.
  • Teamwork and collaboration skills; adaptable to shift work and able to integrate with multi-disciplinary crews.
  • Attention to detail for accurate data capture, sample logging, and production reporting.
  • Problem-solving mindset and willingness to propose small, pragmatic improvements based on field observations.
  • Time management and the ability to prioritize tasks in a dynamic underground environment.
  • Resilience, physical fitness and comfort working in confined, noisy and variable conditions underground.
  • Curiosity and learning orientation; actively seeks feedback and applies coaching from supervisors.
  • Professionalism and ethical conduct when dealing with sensitive operational or production data.
  • Cultural awareness and respect for local communities, indigenous engagement protocols, and workforce diversity.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Currently enrolled in or recently completed a diploma, associate, or undergraduate program in Mining Engineering, Geological Engineering, Earth Sciences, Mining Technology, Metallurgy or a related technical discipline. High school graduates with relevant trade or mining certificates and previous mine-site experience may also be considered.

Preferred Education:

  • Pursuing or completed a Bachelor’s degree in Mining Engineering, Geological Engineering, Geosciences, or Mining Technology with coursework in underground mining methods, rock mechanics, ventilation, and surveying.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Mining Engineering
  • Geological Engineering / Geology
  • Earth Sciences / Geosciences
  • Mining Technology / Mine Operations
  • Environmental Science with mining focus
  • Occupational Health & Safety (mining emphasis)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 0–18 months (Internship, co-op, or 1 entry-level season of site experience). Candidates should demonstrate practical interest through coursework, co-op placements, field camps, or relevant site visits.

Preferred:

  • Prior co-op or field experience on a mine site (surface or underground), basic underground induction completed, and possession of site-required certifications (first aid, confined space, working at heights, site-specific safety tickets).
  • Exposure to mine software (Deswik, Surpac, Maptek), surveying tools, or basic CAD and GIS workflows.
  • Demonstrated participation in safety programs, JHAs, or incident reporting processes.
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