Resources Victoria has opened a new Mining Pathways program to create a stronger career pathway into the mining industry.
Mining Pathways intends to create a pipeline of job-ready workers for the state’s growing minerals sector.
The program was created in partnership with SuniTAFE and the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) to provide regional Victorians with the skills and knowledge needed for the state’s mines.
It will be delivered at SuniTAFE’s Swan Hill and Mildura campuses, as well as online opportunities for students.
Victoria’s Critical Minerals Roadmap outlines 7,000 additional jobs to be created in the coming decades due to mining-related activity in the region.
In 2025, Victoria spent $123 million on exploration expenditure on brownfields and greenfields. The spending represents a 20% decrease in exploration expenditure in the last five years, according to the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies (AMEC) in the 2026 Election Policy Platform report.
AMEC reports that in the last 25 years, the state has increased its yearly exploration expenditure by 268%, though there is scope to develop new frontier exploration incentives.
New frontier incentives that the AMEC has proposed intend to stimulate activity and avoid stagnation of mineral discovery to development timelines.
AMEC says development timelines are already under ‘considerable stress’ from internal forces and global competition.
Victoria’s resource sector is spearheaded by gold, antimony, and heavy mineral sands mineralisation.
Historically, Victoria has produced more than 2,400 tonnes of gold — equating to about one-third of the total gold ever mined in Australia, along with nearly 2% of all the gold mined globally.
The state has undergone more than 180 years of gold discovery. While the state has a long history of gold exploration, it is only just getting started.
Victoria’s next generation of mines continues to grow across the state’s established mineralised belts.
One company leading that charge is Aureka (ASX:AKA), a gold explorer with a mission of bringing Victoria’s gold to life.
The company has spread itself across a suite of ‘advanced’ stage exploration projects. Its portfolio spans the Stawell Corridor, the St Arnaud, and the Jubilee projects.
Aureka’s ambitions don’t end there, though, with the company announcing today, 7 September, that it had entered a binding agreement to acquire High Grade Holdings.
The deal is valued at $8.9 million, offering Aureka access to the Fiddlers Creek gold and silver mine, as well as the Wedderburn gold processing mill, both in Victoria.
For Aureka, while bringing Victoria’s gold to life is the goal, the company prioritises building trusted and transparent relationships with stakeholders, including residents, community groups, government agencies, and Traditional Owners.
With its small Victorian-based team, Aureka is committed to conducting thorough and respectful engagement with its communities.
Write to Maddison Elliott at Mining.com.au
Main Image: Resources Victoria
