The South Gobi Underground Mass Mining Institute (SGUMMI), was launched in 2025 to address the global shortage of skilled underground mining professionals and strengthen Mongolia’s mining sector. In 2026, SGUMMI will open its programs to all mining professionals, providing global access to world-class training and technology.
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A partnership between Rio Tinto and The University of Queensland (UQ), SGUMMI currently trains Rio Tinto miners worldwide in large-scale underground mass mining, at the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in Mongolia’s South Gobi region.
Led by Professor Andre van As from UQ’s Sustainable Minerals Institute, SGUMMI offers advanced training in underground mining, geotechnics, and mining engineering, using Oyu Tolgoi as a practical learning hub. UQ, through its technology transfer company JKTech, manages the institute and develops its curriculum.
Hands-on training to bridge industry gaps
SGUMMI delivers practical, experience-based training through 10 expert-designed modules focused on underground mass mining, with emphasis on cave mining - from geotechnical data collection to mine ventilation and seismic monitoring. Courses are taught on-site by experienced industry professionals.
Professor van As, who joined UQ in 2021 after a 22-year career with Rio Tinto, brings over 30 years of underground geotechnical engineering experience. His leadership ensures SGUMMI addresses critical skills gaps in cave mining.
“There’s a real lack of hands-on training in the industry,” Professor van As said. “SGUMMI is designed to fast-track professionals who may have limited underground mining experience and support younger graduates who lack access to experienced mentors.”
This initiative aligns with the Australian Government’s development partnership with Mongolia, which supports human resource development and the extractives sector to promote sustainable growth. While attracting skilled workers is a priority, Mongolia’s education system faces challenges in meeting industry needs, particularly in hard-rock underground mining.
First cohort and economic impact
The first SGUMMI cohort included 26 mining professionals from Oyu Tolgoi, representing a broad range of disciplines including geology, geotechnical engineering, mine planning, mining operations, drill and blast, ventilation, and even open pit operations.
Oyu Tolgoi is vital to Mongolia’s economy, contributing about 30% of GDP and the global supply of copper essential for electric vehicles, grid infrastructure, and renewable energy. The scale of operations at Oyu Tolgoi highlights the immense logistical and technical demands of modern cave mining.
“Large-scale mining is all about moving vast quantities of material,” Professor van As explained.
“Copper deposits are typically low grade - often around 0.5% - which means you must mine enormous volumes to be economically viable. At Oyu Tolgoi, production is around 50,000 tonnes per day, and some cave mines exceed 100,000 tonnes per day. To put that into perspective, that's equivalent to moving between 2,000 and 4,000 standard shipping containers every single day.”
Reviving interest in mining careers
Mining has faced declining enrolments, driven by environmental concerns, physical demands, and competition from careers in tech and sustainability. Industry volatility, limited remote work options, and a lack of applied training have further discouraged interest. SGUMMI aims to reverse this trend by offering accessible, skills-based education that attracts new talent and strengthens workforce capability.
“Mining has taken a real hit - it’s not perceived as a very attractive discipline, and enrolments have dropped,” Professor Van As said. “Many academics have never worked in a mine, so we’re focusing on the part they’re not experienced in - the hands-on components.”
“SGUMMI is not just about cave mining - it delivers fundamental knowledge and advanced technical capability that apply across all underground mining methods. The topics covered are universally critical, whether a mine is using open stoping, or caving, methods.
“By developing skilled professionals through industry-supported programs and partnering with universities, we develop more skilful graduates that are better equipped to meet modern mining challenges. The SGUMMI model enables universities to address critical skills shortages without placing the financial burden on participants or the university, while ensuring the mining industry gains technically competent professionals who can contribute across all mining methods.
“Universities should embrace the SGUMMI model by streamlining and reducing unnecessary administrative barriers that encumber the development of the skilled professionals the industry urgently requires - ensuring educational outcomes and industry capability remain the central focus.”
Empowering mining professionals
As a tactical integration scheduler at Oyu Tolgoi, Suvdaa Erdenebayar manages the daily coordination of undercut drilling, blasting, mucking, drawbell construction, and the deployment of construction and development teams. It’s an intricate role that requires precision, foresight, and technical fluency. She credits SGUMMI training for enhancing her cave mining operations, saying it improved her ability to manage complex tasks and align team activities with operational priorities.
Beyond technical skills, SGUMMI has inspired continued learning. “It opened our eyes to cave mining science - a new field in Mongolia - and gave us the tools to keep learning independently,” Ms Suvdaa shared.
“I'm proud to be part of the first generation contributing to Mongolia’s first world-class cave mining project, and grateful for the chance to learn from global experts and pass that knowledge on to future generations.”
Suvdaa’s story highlights the importance of targeted professional development in emerging mining regions.
Rob Tobin, Operations and Maintenance Manager at Resolution Copper - a proposed underground copper mine in the United States owned by Rio Tinto and BHP - is a student of SGUMMI. He said being part of the program has deepened my understanding of block caving and geosciences.
“With a background in electrical, operations, and maintenance, SGUMMI has helped me grasp the fundamentals of block caving through insights from global experts. As Resolution begins building its block cave, the program has given me a solid foundation to support our development.”
Rob’s experience reflects SGUMMI’s growing global impact, equipping professionals across continents with the knowledge to shape the future of underground mining.
The launch of SGUMMI at Oyu Tolgoi represents a major step in tackling the global underground mining skills shortage. Through its partnership with Rio Tinto and UQ, the institute delivers applied, expert-led training led by global specialists in geomechanics, rock engineering, seismology, ventilation, and more - each with extensive real-world experience. With programs opening to all professionals in 2026, SGUMMI is poised to empower the next generation of mining talent, strengthen Mongolia’s mining sector, and enhance global workforce capability.
Related Work
UQ’s Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining (CSRM) also delivered a training program to build Mongolia’s capacity for sustainable mining and support its green energy transition, through the Australia-Mongolia Partnership.
For more information on the CSRM program, delivered by UQ International Development: Australia and Mongolia are addressing energy challenges through Australia Awards Fellowships.
