Challenging the traditional hydrometallurgy curriculum-an industry perspective

During the past 20 years, the hydrometallurgist's role in industry has changed considerably. Flowsheet development and technical troubleshooting are now smaller components of the job and, more often than not, issues of operations management, environmental regulations, worker safety, risk assessment, and finances are more important. From an industry perspective, the traditional hydrometallurgy curriculum is seen to have shortcomings in preparing hydrometallurgists for an industrial career. The narrowly defined curriculum does not take into account the application of hydrometallurgical concepts to related fields such as surface finishing, recycling, and the production of advanced materials by aqueous processing techniques. A critical review of perceptions of weaknesses in the current system is presented, along with proposed improvements and modifications which, if implemented, should prepare graduates more appropriately for the demands of the modern workplace.