After more than two decades with limited mining-related educational content within Mendoza’s educational system, the province has begun incorporating new technical training opportunities for an industry once again demanding specialized labor. The launch of the Mining Driller program at IES 9-019 Insutec represents one of the first concrete steps in that process.
By Panorama Minero
The new training program was introduced by the General Directorate of Schools together with the Mining Directorate and will begin this year under a mixed format combining virtual theoretical instruction with in-person practical training. The course will last one year, and enrollment will open on May 27.
An Industry Once Again Demanding Specialized Profiles
The launch of the program coincides with a scenario in which mining exploration has started to regain momentum in Mendoza. Since 2024, with the approval of the first batch of projects under Malargüe Western Mining District I (MDMO I), the province once again authorized exploration campaigns under the restrictions established by Law 7.722.
The current framework requires each project to go through a technical and environmental process culminating in legislative ratification of the Environmental Impact Declaration (DIA) granted by the provincial mining authority. Under this mechanism, Mendoza approved 61 projects between 2024 and 2025, many of them linked to exploration in Malargüe and Uspallata.
That progress has begun generating demand for specific technical profiles that are currently scarce in Mendoza.
“We know we have the resource, but a fundamental step toward advancing geological information—which later determines whether a company moves to the next stage—is exploration. And for that, the first activity these companies will need is drillers,” stated Mendoza Mining Director Jerónimo Shantal.
The Mining Directorate acknowledged that many companies are forced to hire drillers from other provinces due to the lack of trained local personnel. Drillers represent one of the most in-demand profiles within exploration campaigns, as they participate in obtaining the geological information necessary to determine a project’s viability.
“It’s a type of work that barely exists locally, it’s highly demanded, and it almost always depends on the experience of people who worked for many years in a company,” added Shantal during the presentation of the new training initiative.
Exploration activity in southern Mendoza still remains limited. Of the first 34 projects approved within MDMO I, only one advanced to drilling: El Perdido, operated by the Canadian company Kobrea Exploration.
During the last summer season, the company completed its second exploration campaign there, focused on the search for copper, gold, and molybdenum systems. The company carried out diamond drilling to obtain geological information from the subsurface and advance interpretation of the mineralized system.
Another project approaching the drilling stage is El Seguro, managed by the state-owned company Impulsa Mendoza. In that case, the continuation of activities will depend on the incorporation of private partners capable of assuming the high costs associated with deep exploration campaigns in high mountain environments.
Universities, Technical Degrees, and New Mining Programs
For years, Mendoza’s technical education remained more closely linked to oil, agribusiness, viticulture, and civil works, while mining gradually disappeared from technical schools, higher education institutes, and university programs tied to productive sectors. Unlike provinces such as San Juan, Catamarca, or Santa Cruz, Mendoza did not maintain a continuous educational pathway associated with modern metalliferous mining.
The program presented by Insutec also joins other announcements made in recent months within Mendoza’s educational system. The National University of Cuyo has moved forward with the creation of a University Technical Degree in Mining Operations, in addition to diploma programs and new mining-related courses within engineering degrees.
At the same time, the province has begun promoting technical tours for students, linkage programs with mining organizations, and participation by Mendoza schools in specialized exhibitions.
Higher Education authorities also linked the opening of the new program to the growth of mining activity in Mendoza. “The province approved 61 projects between 2024 and 2025. This implies there is strong demand for the driller profile,” stated Higher Education Director Mariela Ramos.
She also noted that the training aims to support the new professional profiles beginning to emerge in the province in areas related to mining, renewable resources, oil, gas, and road infrastructure.
The growth of mining exploration has begun accelerating a discussion that for years had little presence in Mendoza: the need to rebuild technical and professional profiles linked to an industry that had practically disappeared from the province’s educational training system.
