Securing mining’s future: Inspiring the next generation of responsible resource leaders

The mining industry sits at the heart of many of today’s most pressing global challenges. From securing the critical minerals needed for the energy transition to strengthening domestic supply chains and supporting economic development, mining has never been more important. Yet as demand for minerals continues to grow, the industry faces a less visible but equally significant challenge: attracting and developing the people needed to deliver it.

Across much of the Western world, a skills shortage is emerging in key mining-related disciplines. An ageing workforce, combined with declining numbers of students pursuing mining and geoscience-related qualifications, is creating a talent gap that many organisations are already beginning to feel. Without intervention, this challenge will only intensify.

Part of the issue stems from perception. For many young people, mining remains associated with outdated stereotypes that fail to reflect the reality of a modern industry. Despite significant progress in technological innovation, environmental management and social responsibility, attracting new talent is becoming more difficult due to a general lack of exposure to careers and relevant topics in school, and a declining number of related qualifications and degree courses.

Reframing mining for the next generation

The need to address this challenge is urgent.

As the global population continues to grow, the advances in technology and the transition to lower-carbon energy systems are increasing demand for minerals such as lithium, copper and rare earth elements. While recycling will play an increasingly important role, it cannot meet projected demand on its own. For the foreseeable future, responsible mining will remain essential.

The mining sector of the future will therefore require professionals with diverse skill sets and perspectives. Geologists and mining engineers remain critical, but so too are environmental scientists, social specialists, sustainability practitioners, economists, data analysts and community engagement professionals. Developing responsibly managed mineral projects requires a multidisciplinary approach, and attracting talent from a broad range of backgrounds is essential.

This is where outreach and engagement have a crucial role to play.

Moving beyond traditional recruitment

As part of SLR’s community initiatives, our staff regularly undertake outreach and engagement activities with prospective employees for this crucial industry to highlight potential careers and attract new talent. We want to highlight to potential recruits how the industry continues to evolve away from being historically destructive to a modern industry embracing new technology and improving environmental and social protections.

One recent example of student outreach work in saw SLR’s Ben Lepley delivering and facilitating a multi-disciplinary workshop on ‘Sustainable Development Licence to Operate’ to St Andrews University students. Built into the ‘Global Resource Challenges’ module, students from diverse course backgrounds attended – including geology, geochemistry and environmental science students. The workshop aimed to get students thinking laterally about the impacts of mining projects across environmental, social and governance (ESG), technical and economic topic areas. It also aimed to highlight potential career avenues not previously considered.

The workshop was based around the concept of ‘sustainable development licence to operate’ (SDLO) – a phrase develop by the United Nation’s Environment Programme (UNEP) in 2021. It took the concept of ‘social licence to operate’ and expanded it to consider global challenges related to sustainable development. It is based around the understanding that the energy transition requires significantly more mineral resources to be extracted, but this must be completed in a just and equitable manner, benefitting the greater good and not just focussed on company profit or local community requirements. This requires a holistic understanding of the complex challenges facing new mining projects – including socio-economic development and investment, environmental concerns, social injustices, technical challenges around geology, mining and infrastructure, and economic pressure from investors and company management.

Learning through real-world challenges

The students were presented with real life case studies of lithium development projects in a range of geological, environmental and social contexts around the globe (Ghana, Cornwall, Argentina and Mexico). They were positioned as advisors to an investor group deciding which project to put their $1 million investment into. Their investment decisions had to meet the requirements of SDLO, considering that exploration and mining projects intersect with multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) – including access to water, socio-economic prosperity, climate and biodiversity.

SLR was assisted by other technical experts to provide students with a broad spectrum of insights from different perspectives. Dr Cathryn MacCallum from Sazani Associates provided detail on social justice and shared value through a thought-provoking questionnaire. George Howe from Cornish Lithium presented insights from an ongoing exploration project in Cornwall, including discussion on exploration and development methods along with permitting processes. Dr Rob Andrews from St Andrews University added knowledge of chemistry and the end uses of lithium in batteries used for electrification of the global economy.

The multi-disciplinary groups - with their varying perspectives and knowledge of mining projects - discussed the advantages and risks of each of the projects before presenting their opinions on which project they deemed fit for investment. A key part of their decision making was critically assessing the information provided and presenting a balanced view based on technical, ESG and financial aspects of the projects. The students demonstrated their enthusiasm for the subject with animated and well-thought of presentations of their decisions. While some groups focused more on the technical and financial benefits of projects, others considered the environmental and social aspects to be the key driver behind their decisions. The resulting presentations showed they had consumed and considered the information provided, some of which was well-outside the curriculum of their degree schemes. Our mission of expanding their horizons and to consider a wide range of stakeholders when developing mining projects was clearly a success.

This is the third time SLR has run this workshop – with two previous workshops delivered at the University of Exeter, Penryn Campus. The multi-disciplinary approach is key to encouraging critical thinking through diverse opinions and backgrounds. We hope to continue to develop the workshop and present it to wider audiences to provide students with a broader understanding of issues facing new mining developments and encourage students to consider a career in the mining sector.

Building the future talent pipeline

The sector's future workforce will not be built through recruitment campaigns alone. It will be built through meaningful engagement that helps young people understand both the opportunities and responsibilities that come with developing the resources society depends upon.

Industry professionals have a critical role to play in this effort. Whether engaging with primary schools, secondary schools, universities or community organisations, outreach activities can help broaden awareness of the sector and attract a more diverse range of future professionals.

If mining is to meet the challenges of the energy transition, strengthen supply chain resilience and deliver sustainable development outcomes, it must first address its talent challenge. The industry's future success depends not only on discovering new resources, but on inspiring the next generation of people who will develop them responsibly.