Saudi Arabia is narrowing its focus on creating a strengthened mining and resources sector, following on from the 2026 program of the Future Minerals Forum (FMF) held in Riyadh from 13-15 January.
The number of locally operating mining companies has increased significantly in the last seven years, jumping from six in 2019 to more than 150 now, as reported by FMF.
Exploration expenditure in Saudi Arabia reached up to SAR$1.33 billion ($530.34 million) between 2019 and 2023.
While the country is focused on deploying its Saudi Vision 2030 to charter a new era of investor-centric mining and strengthen its minerals sector, Australian miners may look to the Middle East’s advantages.
As reported by Mining.com.au, Saudi Arabia is offering first-movers advantages in under-explored belts, which may be prospective for Australian companies facing tightening land access, rising costs, and mature terrains at home.
This may not be the only advantage to come out of the strengthened alliance with Saudi Arabia for Australia’s resources.
Saudi’s focus on the next generation
In its efforts to advance the local resources industry, Saudi Arabia is shaping the next generation of miners by investing in training.
The Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources is actively pushing agendas to orchestrate memorandum of understanding agreements to orchestrate international partnerships and foster the development of the resources sector.
The FMF program played a key role in Saudi Arabia striking these agreements with international sectors including France, the UK, and Zambia.
The country currently has several programs running to benefit the next generation of miners, such as the Saudi Mining Polytechnic and the Institute of Mineral Resources Advanced Training (IMRT), which offer specialised programs that intend to contribute to Vision 2030.
The IMRT offers vocational training for students to complete an Applied Mining Diploma. Students complete five semesters – each run over 16 weeks – for a total of 1,424 training hours. This includes 360 hours of on-the-job training.
Students can enhance their skills in mining and mineral extraction, geology and applied geology, engineering drawing, map design, surface and underground mining, and sample preparation techniques.
Vice Chairman of global multidisciplinary management, engineering, and development consultancy Hatch, Joe Lombard, says a common theme at FMF has been the need for Saudi Arabia to entice the younger generation to want to get involved in mining and to facilitate that through training programmes or whatever.
Speaking to Mining.com.au on the sidelines of the event, Lombard says there’s plenty that Hatch is involved with in helping the Saudi government unpack training youth as the mining sector there starts to ramp up.
“Our big journey is, even though we’ve been working in Saudi Arabia for a long time, our big journey is starting now,” he tells this news service.
“We have lots of plans, and we will simulate what we do in other parts of the world. Hatch is a global organisation. We’ve got offices on all continents and we’re in the ways of mining.
“What we do, we like to attract, first of all, build a relationship with universities and attract the best of the best through the work that we deliver and retain them, of course, but also work through word of mouth. And also engage in opportunities, engage even at high school level, programs like First Robotics, I don’t know if you’ve heard about this.
“We continue to work through universities. That’s the breeding ground of our future engineers and future leaders. But the phenomenon that I also observe, we also always talk about Hatch as a family, is we have now third generation young professionals joining us. The grandad was here, the father was – but now we see the grandkids joining the organisation.”
Australia steps up
Following in Saudi Arabia’s footprints, Australia is similarly looking to create opportunities for the next generation of career professionals.
The WA Mining Club is one network pushing for training opportunities for the next generation.
Stationed in Australia’s home of mining, the WA Mining Club hosts 15 opportunities for mining professionals to connect throughout the year, from luncheons to networking events.
Speaking to Mining.com.au, Co-Lead for the Emerging Professionals Advisory Committee James Fox describes the WA Mining Club as “one of the biggest mining communities in Australia” that’s open to a range of industry professionals, including FIFO workers, students, executives, and corporate professionals.
“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” Fox tells this news service.
“The club just connects people from everywhere, and that’s why it’s another hugely beneficial thing to come to these networking events.
“It’s that relationship building and the people you meet which can give you different opportunities.”
Training in the mining industry often comes from the connections you have already built and the company you work for.
Aside from his time with the WA Mining Club, Fox is working as a graduate mining engineer for IGO (ASX:IGO), which he describes as a career where you’re constantly learning and upskilling.
Fox tells this news service that any further training he has required for work has been brought on by the company. He notes a couple of training programs he has undertaken to include certifications of explosive handling as well as a heavy rigid licence to drive a firetruck on site.
Train them younger
The Centre of Resource Excellence (CoRE) Learning Foundation is one growing opportunity that equips students with STEM skills necessary for ‘meaningful careers’ in the resources industry.
The CoRE program is currently operating across 17 schools with more than 1,300 students engaged. The foundation reports more than 150 alumni from the program to have entered the resources industry.
A key aspect of the program is allowing students access to working mine sites to create a link between the classroom and the industry.
“It’s all real-world learning,” Fox adds.
“As soon as I had that exposure and experience to those things, it was that lightbulb moment. As soon as I saw that, I was hooked and that was my drive into mining.”
The WA Mining Club is similarly focused on developing a range of student-based initiatives, including its Get into Mining camp program.
Get into Mining is a free camp opportunity for high school students aged between year 10-12, where students are able to gain firsthand experience at what the industry has to offer.
While student-based opportunities are slowly becoming more available to school-aged students, Fox explains that there is still a lack of knowledge about the importance of Australia’s mining industry.
“At the moment, we’re definitely facing a skills shortage and we’re definitely facing not enough young people coming into the industry,” Fox adds.
“Whether that be a young person’s misconception of the industry, they might think it’s no good or they might think it’s bad for the environment.
“I don’t think there’s enough early exposure, especially high school students are getting about the mining industry. Western Australia is the mining capital of the world and you would think, especially during school, it’s talked about more, but it’s not.”
Mining and Automotive Skills Alliance’s Gen Z Perceptions of Mining report says that as little as 17% of young Australians speak with their parents about entering a career in mining.
Almost half of Australia’s youth population is unaware of how to forge a career in the mining and resources industry, aside from becoming a miner.
The Australian Government has recorded 297,500 of workers to be employed in the mining industry.
The Gen Z Perceptions of Mining report continues to add that 24% of young people across the country have expressed interest in undertaking subsidised education and training to kickstart a career in the mining industry.
Queensland in particular is calling on young Australians in its upcoming Queensland Youth Week, held annually from 11-19 April 2026.
Queensland Youth Week intends to highlight the achievements and contributions young people have made to local communities, the state, and the country.
The statewide celebration has a grant program totalling $275,000, offering individual grants for up to $10,000 for people aged between 12-25 to host events in partnership with the Queensland Mental Health Commission.
Last year’s event saw a total grant offering of nearly $70,000 for a total of 16 events, ranging from community festivals in South Burnett and Yeppoon and a culturally focused youth event in Logan.
Minister for Youth Sam O’Connor describes the week as an opportunity to support the “next generation of leaders and change makers”.
“Nearly one in five Queenslanders is aged 12 to 25 and these young people are playing a part in shaping the future of our State,” O’Connor says.
“The Crisafulli Government is ensuring the voices and ideas of young Queenslanders are heard, and that they have more opportunities to be empowered to thrive in their communities.“
Write to Maddison Elliott at Mining.com.au
Images: CoRE Learning Foundation, Mining.com.au & WA Mining Club
