The aim of the Mining Game for Education and Learning -project (better know as MiGaEL-project) is to increase the skills of those working in the mining industry by improving the knowledge of occupational safety and the availability of workforce. Migael-project also aims to promote students to apply to the mining sector and to raise the image of mining as an industry. In addition, the environment of the game promotes the interaction between the mining industry, education and the surrounding society, and improves the skills and competences of applicants for the sector.
The virtual learning environment created in the project expands the learning of the mining industry about the open-pit as well as the underground mine and deepens the knowledge of individual work tasks and actions with scenario based exercises virtually. Different levels of education are taken into account in the development of these virtual environments and they involve second degree based work tasks (i.e. for vocational school).
The result of MiGaEL is a virtual playable 3D -mining environment, which contains scenario-based exercises for different mining work tasks in different surroundings. The environment can be used in all levels of education for the industry, as well as in training, orientation and retraining of those already working in the industry. The environments will be integrated into the mining education program of Lapland University of Applied Sciences.
The total cost of the project is EUR 450,002 of which the Northern Ostrobothnia Center of Economic Development, Transport and the Environment has granted funding from both the European Social Fund (ESF) and the state funding (EUR 337,502). The project’s implementation period is 01/08/2019 – 31/12/2021 by FrostBit Software Laboratory of Lapland University of Applied Sciences.