University of Arizona and Resolution Copper fast-track employee training

Mineral demand is rising fast, and the mining industry faces an escalating workforce shortage. To address this challenge, the University of Arizona School of Mining Engineering and Mineral Resources (SMEMR) is partnering with industry to ensure its recruits are well-trained to lead safe underground operations.

“Miners are highly skilled workers, and at Resolution Copper they are preparing to operate in one of the most technically complex mines in the world,” said Kray Luxbacher, the Gregory H. and Lisa S. Boyce Leadership Chair of Mining and Geological Engineering and executive director and head of SMEMR.  

The school worked with Resolution Copper, a proposed mile-deep mine about 100 miles north of Tucson to develop an intensive safety program, which piloted in June 2025 with eight trainees at the university’s San Xavier Underground Mining Laboratory. 

“Our partnership with the University of Arizona is driven by a common goal to prepare a safe, skilled and adaptable underground workforce,” said Helene Quiroz, senior training adviser at Resolution Copper. 

Safety training at the Resolution Copper project, which is co-owned by multinational mining companies BHP and Rio Tinto, would require a 45-minute descent underground, currently via an exploratory shaft, to the planned working level. At the four-level San Xavier Mine – just 250 feet at its deepest with four portals, a vertical shaft and hoist – trainees get underground in minutes. 

“The San Xavier Mine presents a unique opportunity for training in a full-scale mine with the ability to identify and mitigate hazards in a non-production environment,” Luxbacher said. “It's a multi-use facility - we can conduct undergraduate laboratories, doctoral-level research, and industry training.”

Resolution Copper underground operations analyst Wendy Stanfel said the pilot was tailored well for early-career miners.

“It covered the basics of everything you need to look for underground, which is already a hazardous environment,” she said. “Any information like this helps lead to safer work.”

Giving voice to all workers

“Resolution’s steadfast approach to safety, where every employee is a leader, drives every aspect of the training,” said Luxbacher, who taught the first of five daylong workshops, which focused on leadership, responsibilities and communications.

Other workshops demonstrated signs of ground instability and response techniques; underground airflow and air quality ventilation; and equipment hazards. 

"Every scenario is built to mirror what they’ll face in the field,” said Julia Potter, co-director of the university’s Geotechnical Center of Excellence. "We want trainees to come away not just with knowledge, but with the confidence to speak up and act when something seems off underground.” 

Three more pilot sessions are scheduled in 2025 at the 90-acre training facility and technology proving ground about 30 miles south of campus. The course is expected to expand in 2026 to monthly cohorts of 10 to 15 participants. With mining ramping up in Arizona and beyond, the university and Resolution Copper hope to open the course to other companies.

“It’s about strengthening the entire underground mining community,” said Potter.