Recognising the value of younger generations is only part of the equation. If the mining industry wants to secure its future workforce, it must also create clear pathways for young professionals to discover, enter, and thrive within the sector.
From strengthening engagement in schools and universities to expanding graduate programs and providing mentorship opportunities, mining companies are increasingly rethinking how they attract and develop the next generation of talent.
But the challenge is not simply bringing new people into the industry. Retaining skills and experience already within the sector is equally important.
“The skill sets lost during downturns and people moving to adjacent industries are a real problem, and it is less likely to get them back due to the inherent and experienced workplace insecurities,” Scottie Resources (TSX-V:SCOT) CEO Thomas Mumford tells this news service.
That retention challenge is reflected in a survey conducted by MPI Recruitment earlier this year, which revealed only 14% of Australian mining professionals were ‘empathically’ planning to stay put in their jobs.
As Mining.com.au reported, 756 respondents indicated they were open to moving jobs, with feeling useful, supported, and engaged emerging as key factors in their employment decisions.
Of these respondents, 27% say using and improving their skills matters most when considering a new role, while 26% consider leadership support as the main motivator.
Among white collar professionals, 22% out of 482 respondents value job promotions the most when considering a new role, followed by using and improving skills (19%) and leadership support (16%).
The findings suggest that building the future mining workforce cannot simply mean recruiting more people. The sector must provide meaningful development, progression, and support once those people enter the industry.
Chase Mason, a former graduate and Metro Mining’s (ASX:MMI) environmental technician, says that personal development is an often overlooked aspect of how the mining industry can create clearer pathways for young people.
“A young person in the workplace lives a very different life to their peers and is trying to find their feet and learn how to present themselves,” Mason explains to Mining.com.au.
“Interpersonal communication is one of the hardest skills for a young person to develop without mentorship. And communication in mining is pivotal.”
That challenge has been brought into focus by International Youth Day (12 August). As a digitally native generation continues to redefine what ‘thinking outside the box’ means, the opportunity for the mining sector lies in ensuring young people have every reason to step into the industry in the first place.
Opening the doors to mining
One of the biggest opportunities for the sector is to create clearer pathways for young people to build careers in mining. This includes opening the doors and increasing outreach to mine sites.
Speaking to Mining.com.au, Atlas Salt (TSX-V:SALT) CEO Nolan Peterson says that although mines are often located in remote places, greater exposure to the industry can help young people contextualise it and start to imagine themselves working in the sector.
“Familiarity would go a long way to acceptance and getting people to embrace the industry,” Peterson explains.
“So arrange tours, visits, and programs that expose the youth to the positives of mining.”
Warren Pearce, CEO of the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies (AMEC), shares a similar view, explaining that young people are critical to the industry’s future.
“With an ageing workforce, we need young people to develop the skills and generate ideas that ensure the sector continues to innovate and grow,” Pearce says.
“We need to provide apprenticeships, traineeships, mentoring, and entry-level opportunities that do not rely solely on a university degree. Clearer pathways with practical experience and exposure to industry networks can help young people from all backgrounds build lasting careers.”
The need for those pathways is becoming increasingly apparent as the sector confronts persistent skills shortages.
“Mining has a clear workforce attrition problem that will only become more acute with time unless there is some significant change,” Scottie Resources’ Mumford notes.
“As in most industries, young people need to come in to replace the older workers — the sector has already been hollowed out in some demographics and jurisdictions.”
According to Norwest Exploration, mining employment stood at 314,500 in early 2026, and the occupations most critical to operations — mechanical fitters, boilermakers, electricians, and heavy diesel mechanics — are among the hardest to fill.
The traditional response to a workforce shortage is to train more people. However, apprenticeship completion data suggests that increasing training numbers may not be enough.
The National Centre for Vocational Education Research’s (NCVER) latest data puts the four-year trade apprenticeship completion rate of 46.9% for the 2020 commencing cohort. In mining and automotive trades, completion sits around 58.2%.
Across all industries and qualification levels, Australia’s apprenticeship completion rate stands at 47.9%.
For mining, broadly matching the national average is not considered a success when the sector is already struggling to fill critical roles. Norwest Exploration says that the industry cannot afford to effectively train two apprentices for every one it ultimately needs.
This places greater emphasis on creating pathways that not only attract young people but keep them engaged throughout training and into long-term employment.
“Attracting a broader range of graduates, e.g. more women, more people from outside traditional mining regions etc., is important when the pool is already tight,” Future Metals (ASX:FME) CEO Keith Bowes says.
Beyond a traditional degree
Many companies and industry organisations are already attempting to bridge that gap by creating more practical routes into the sector.
For example, Fortescue (ASX:FMG) is establishing training hubs to encourage young people onto an apprenticeship path as it works towards the 1,800 electricians needed to meet its decarbonisation goals by 2030.
In June 2026, the mining giant opened a new Power Up Training Centre in Perth to build the electrical workforce needed to electrify its operations. The purpose-built facility will provide apprentices and tradespeople with practical, hands-on training in electrical, mechanical, and emerging technologies.
Meanwhile, the Minerals Council of Australia’s (MCA’s) School Tour Program connects secondary students and teachers with people working across Victoria’s resources sector and provides students with the opportunity to experience an operational mine site firsthand.
Such experiences can help turn mining from an abstract career option into something tangible. Students can meet engineers, environmental scientists, geologists, and tradespeople while gaining a better understanding of the skills and career pathways available across the industry.
But for many young people, the challenge begins even earlier — before they are considering a graduate program or applying for their first mining role.
“The lack of clarity reflects the opportunity,” Jamie Lavigne, interim CEO of E-Power Resources (CSE:EPR), tells this news service.
Future Metals’ Bowes adds that graduate programs can also have limitations because they often reach a narrow pool of candidates, such as those already on a science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) pathway.
“To create alternate pathways, non-degree entry points can be very effective,” Bowes says.
“Field assistants and operators don’t necessarily require prior qualifications and let people prove capability before committing to further study.”
That approach could broaden the sector’s talent pool by allowing young people to enter mining through practical experience rather than requiring them to have already made a university-level commitment to a STEM career.
Pearce echoes this view, saying that apprenticeships, traineeships, mentoring, and entry-level opportunities need to sit alongside traditional university pathways.
“Clearer pathways with practical experience and exposure to industry networks can help young people from all backgrounds build lasting careers,” Pearce says.
Starting the pipeline early
The push to broaden mining’s talent pipeline is also moving further upstream, with growing recognition that engagement needs to begin well before young people reach university or enter the workforce.
The Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA), for example, engages with 100 schools and more than 6,200 students through 233 workshops, programs, and camps.
QMEA reports that students at academy schools were also more likely to pursue engineering and related technologies than students at non-QMEA schools (20% compared with 18%).
Yet the industry’s challenge is reaching those who have not already chosen STEM. Year13’s 2024 Careers Index ranked mining engineering as the eighth most popular career among Australian school students, suggesting mining is not necessarily absent from young people’s ambitions — but exposure remains critical.
Impact Minerals (ASX:IPT) Managing Director Mike Jones says that the industry requires a coordinated effort to bring mining education to schools at primary and secondary levels.
“More traineeships are required, not just degrees, and more mentoring during the early years of their careers — diverse backgrounds bring diverse thinking,” Jones says.
Agnico Eagle Mines (NYSE:AEM) is among the companies supporting this earlier engagement, as the company participates in several careers expos each year to provide information to students considering a career in mining.
The company’s Fosterville gold mine, located in Victoria, supports the Bright Future STEM Program facilitated by Australian Resources and Energy Employer Association (AREEA). The program engages children in Years 5–6 in STEM, raising awareness of the diverse range of technologically advanced jobs available.
Agnico Eagle says the program includes enhanced and virtual reality, robotics, coding, and engineering challenges, and many other stimulating activities.
For the sector facing an ageing workforce and persistent skills shortages, creating clear pathways is no longer optional. Mining must engage young people earlier, broaden how they enter the industry, and give them the skills, support, and progression needed to build lasting careers.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Mining.com.au, Minerals Council of Australia, Western Australian Government, & QMEA
