All analysts are agreed that the amounts of critical minerals needed to supply the green transition will have to be drastically increased over the next few years. Mining, mineral processing and the downstream production of materials are the key to the energy transition and are crucial to all societies, but it is estimated that the world will need to produce over the next 20-25 years the amount of copper that has been produced throughout all human history and will need to mine vast amounts of lithium, graphite, cobalt, rare earths and other critical minerals. This will require a ramp up of throughput at existing mines, new mines and a greater emphasis on recycling.
I and others have written many articles on the critical role of mining and the benefits of careers in mining, but in the majority of cases we are preaching to the converted and the mainstream media seem not to be too interested in the positive aspects of mining, preferring to concentrate on the impact of mining on the environment, highlighting the disasters which unfortunately sometimes take place.
Fortunately organisations such as the Critical Minerals Association are getting the message through to Governments that mining is essential for a sustainable future and the green transition and at the recent COP28 UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced his plan to set up a panel aimed to ensure the move from fossil fuels towards renewable energy is just, sustainable and benefits all countries. He said that the availability and accessibility of critical energy transition minerals is crucial to reach the goals set by the 2015 Paris Agreement.
However the mining industry is facing a critical skills gap, compounded with the impending ‘grey tsunami’, referring to the number of retirements anticipated. There is great concern about the future of the talent pipeline, where people servicing the sector are being replaced by only a trickle in North America, Australia and Europe.
There is a need to attract school leavers to mining and mineral processing, but unfortunately the number of mining degree courses has diminished rapidly over the years. In UK there were eight undergraduate mining degree courses in 1989 but now there are none, apart from the mining degree apprenticeship course at Camborne School of Mines. This is, however, training those working in the industry who are already committed to mining. Educational institutions must rally to increase enrollment numbers at the undergraduate level to offset the worldwide decline in programs that relate to mining, engineering, and extractive metallurgy.
In the USA the recent Mining Schools Act aims at establishing a grant programme for mining schools to receive funds in order to recruit students and carry out studies, research projects, or demonstration projects related to the production of minerals. It would also establish the Mining Professional Development Advisory Board to evaluate applications and recommend recipients to the Secretary of Energy, as well as ensuring that grant funds are appropriately used. If they can do this in USA, then why not elsewhere?
I would be interested to hear feedback from the Institutes, the major mining companies and academic institutions on how they are approaching the critical skills shortage.
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Surely the problem with it...is the flaky nature of the mining industry.
ReplyDeleteThink here in the UK in last 5 years. Two big mining projects in Devon and Scotland, burst into life.
Where are those mines now? Where are the staff now? How many retained in the mining industry?
Then we have the likes of our two Li companies. Struggling to find people?
As an industry we cannot complain that there are no staff, when as an industry in Europe we can't keep metalliferous mining operating without falling over?
These are very parochial views, David. The problem is not just confined to UK and parts of Europe. It is a worldwide problem.
DeletePaul Norton, Queensland, Australia
Yes, it is estimated that by 2029 over half of the current worldwide mining workforce will have retired. In contrast, by 2040, total mineral demand is expected to double, so, we won’t have the workforce to tackle these challenges unless we continue to recruit and train the next generation of workers.
DeleteThere has been some good reporting on the scale and nature of the challenge but I've yet to see more than tentative steps towards action. My gut feeling is ultimately we're going to have to get down into schools and to the level where student's perceptions of our impact on the environment are seeded, and ensure they have a fuller understanding of what is required to sustain our society (and perhaps more broadly a conversation around societal trade-offs and quality of life). We can follow trends in interest in subjects such as geology to suggest there is already a broadly negative association with the topic and industry at an early stage, it needs to change.
ReplyDeleteThat doesn't do anything about the next 10 years though. We need to find ways to target students at GCSE and A-Level precisely and ensure there isn't a purely destructive outcome from engaging in the industry. I'm finding where we can have conversations with undergraduates on degrees such as chemical engineering and geology about the resources sector it can sway a number to apply for a postgraduate degree in a cognate subject. That suggests to me awareness is also an issue. For my part the MSc I work on teaches a broad spectrum of topics, linking environmental and social impact and perhaps those topics are important carrots; the mining must be more sustainable. Thinking more broadly about degrees we've seen a huge lurch towards applicants for programmes with environmental and sustainability in the titles (and a growth in programmes to meet demand). So there is interest in the wider resources sector and its implications, but more often than not the green aspects, or more sustainable outcomes.
I'm keen to dig into this, pun very much intended. The deteriorating geopolitical climate is just emphasising the importance of this sector, and there couldn't be a worse time for us to be narrowing down on the pipeline of people for the industry.
I fully agree. We need to enthuse young people at school level. It's not too difficult to put over the importance of the mining industry and its crucial role in society. The problem is where do they study? Chemical engineering and general engineering degrees are a useful conduit into MSc courses in mining and mineral processing, such as those at Camborne, and when I talk to the students on these courses they are all totally committed to the industry and end up with interesting careers around the world. We must catch them early!
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ReplyDeleteI believe the skills shortage gap is more pronounced in the first world countries as highlighted in the article. Unfortunately in the developing countries most of the mining and metallurgy graduates are finding it hard to get even an internship opportunity. In some African countries, the partnership of resource industries with learning institutions has collapsed or simply just stopped. The energy transition is definitely going to fuel demand for critical minerals as well as an increase in skills demand related to mining
Mbaita Mulela, Konkola Copper Mines, Zambia (Via LinkedIn)
That's interesting Mbaita. I would very much like to hear reactions from African learning institutions regarding your perception of the breakdown with resource industries. I have not been aware of this.
DeleteI speak from experience with regard to complaints I get from new graduates, some graduated as back as 2018 and are still looking for internship opportunities. However I can not solicit for reactions direct from Universities in my country as I do not know their management style with regard to engagement with resource companies. My opinion is solely based on influx of complaints I get from graduates in the resource sector. Thanks for the concern
DeleteMbaita
There are some really interesting conduits back to postgraduate study, I come across a lot of applicants in management, economics, finance and HR who feel they need a level of technical education to fully engage within the business; we do very well educating in that niche, but not for U.K. applicants, who like at other U.K. universities have fallen off the map. Cost is a growing issue too, taking the point from the original post, do we need to look at subsidising education in critical industries where we do not meet the demand?
ReplyDeleteConnecting with school students broadly is such a difficult thing and probably requires some creative thinking. There are some very successful creators on TikTok and Instagram on subjects such as geology, so that's probably an avenue to explore? It'd certainly have the greatest outreach potential - and in the end you only need to turn a few heads in every school to get the ball rolling.
Perhaps more widely we need more action from government and policy makers to ensure the general public are more aware of the challenges to be overcome if we're going to push hard enough on Net Zero and what that requires. Communication on these issues has not been good enough.
Plenty of food for thought. As you say when the students are in they are committed and they really enjoy what the industry offers... but we're preaching to the converted!
When CSM started its Mineral Processing degree in the late 70s I travelled extensively to schools around the UK, carrying a flotation cell in the boot of my car! It wasn't difficult to enthuse A-level science students in this subject which they had never heard of, and I rarely got fewer than 2 recruits per school, some of which have gone on to great things. There was also an organisation called MIMCU- the Minerals Industry Manpower and Careers Unit, which did a similar thing. I think this was linked to the Insitution of Mining and Metallurgy. It's a long time since I was in academia and I wonder if anyone is doing anything similar. Catch them young- I remember that in 1969 when completing my PhD in physical metallurgy, I attended a talk at Leeds University by a young engineer from the Zambian Copperbelt- the rest, as they say....
DeleteUnfortunately, we are living in a world of 'bandwagons' where currently the word 'mining' is synonymous with the word 'bad'. Back in the 70s and 80s this was the popularly held view on nuclear - ie nuclear = bad/dirty. Only fairly recently has this changed in the public perception to nuclear = good/clean. Mining needs to go through a similar transition! To achieve this we need to get the facts into schools as early as possible in a way that excites the kids. Mining is, of course, vital to our future, it is exciting and we need to actively promote this scenario, turning it into a positive bandwagon!
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with you Anon. Yes, we need to talk to those about to leave school (see my comment above from yesterday). I wonder if academic institutions do this nowadays, or maybe academics are bogged down with admin and the need to publish research papers? But even if they do, where are the courses to take these young people?
DeleteAll above is true and at this instance, the situation is very alarming in India too , there are many diversified issues in inculcating Mineral / Mining in to young minds , in my experience of teaching and research I come across students mind set and their urbunphilicness and the software salaries have diminished the interest and its not only declining the student strength but also reducing faculty and mentorship
ReplyDeleteIn the UK, the IoM3 and the Critical Minerals Association have held discussion groups and published reports on the mining industry skills shortage. I am aware of similar reports in Canada and by the Colorado School of Mines.
ReplyDeleteThere seem to be three main reasons the industry is not attracting new talent:
1. Lack of understanding of the critical importance of mining and extractive metallurgy in providing the essentials of modern life.
2. Negative image of the industry through popular culture (e.g. the film Avatar). Use by TV channels of images of child labour in artisanal mines and deforestation in certain countries to represent the mining industry as a whole. Yes, these negatives do exist, but they are the exception not the rule. When did a TV programme show the environmental safeguarding and advanced technology at mines operated by major companies?
3. The cyclical nature of the industry leads to "hire and fire" and lack of career certainty. During my 50 years in the industry I have seen significantly more cost cutting than rewards.
If I can offer any encouragement, it is that my teenage grandchildren and their peers show a real interest in STEM subjects, which seems a positive change from the last couple of generations. Even my six year old granddaughter is fascinated by minerals and fossils without influence from me.