“You can’t be what you can’t see”.
These words come from Aileen Hu, Queensland’s Outstanding Academic Achiever for 2024 and former Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy student. They speak not just to her own journey, but to a broader truth that echoes through the mining and resources sector.
With International Youth Day yesterday (12 August), as previously reported, a generational gap has come to light in the mining and resources sector, which is widening.
Skills shortages coupled with a reluctance of youth and graduates to join the mining sector presents a real challenge as well as capability risk for the mining sector.
As the mining industry grapples with an ageing workforce and a future that is continuously evolving, navigating the challenge may yet provide the opportunity.
The question posed about inspiring the next generation to step into roles they’ve never seen themselves in is the near-term issue the industry now confronts.
For Hu, the answer lies in early education, exposure, and mentorship that doesn’t end with a one-off careers day, but follows the youth through every stage of their professional growth.
“Ultimately, it’s so important that my generation just doesn’t sit around protesting for a solution. Rather, I think it’s almost our duty as young people to be a part of the solution,” she tells Mining.com.au.
“I think having mentorship throughout the entire chain of learning is so important right from the beginning, all the way to when you are essentially in the industry.”
Industry and imagination
Organisations such as QMEA, the education arm of the Queensland Resources Council (QRC), are working to change the narrative.
By embedding mining into the classroom – not just a topic, but as a tangible, lived experience – QMEA is helping students see what is possible.
With reach across more than 100 schools and more than 6,200 students, QMEA crafts immersive, hands-on programs that bring the mining sector together. From virtual simulations to trade workshops, these experiences expose students to careers they might never have considered – or even know existed.
QRC’s Policy Director of Skills, Education and Diversity, Katrina Lee-Jones says it is important for QMEA to understand the needs of a school so the team can help deliver that.
“We’re starting to hear that numerous schools love anything to do with trades and exposing their students to hands-on trades,” Lee-Jones says.
“Experiences with industry in the classroom is something that sets us apart from everybody else that is out there, because we bring industry along with them.”
Lee-Jones adds that the trade programs are valuable in which students are highly engaged and acquire new skills.
While with QMEA, Hu’s mentor was a profile lead at mining giant BHP (ASX:BHP), which she explains as an “incredibly inspiring” experience to see women succeed in the field.
“I have seen such an amount of growth and potential in the field through these QMEA programs,” she says.
In 2024, QMEA revealed through its programs, 92% of students stated that QMEA engagement increased their awareness of the different careers in the resources sector. Meanwhile, 95% of teachers said QMEA events improved teaching of minerals and energy topics.
The path ahead
Aileen Hu – who is currently studying a Bachelor of Commerce, which will lead into a Masters of Engineering, at the University of Melbourne – is fascinated by the robust nature of the mining and commodities market, as well as how it reacts and absorbs the influence of global dynamics.
“That’s what is really fascinating and has really motivated me to continue on this path,” she says.
Despite the fascination behind the industry, Hu points out that there is still a negative perception lingering towards mining from a sustainability perspective.
“Companies do recognise the importance of sustainable commerce, and they are making significant efforts towards net zero and supporting the need for critical minerals,” Hu tells this news service.
Many mining companies are actively pursuing sustainable mining practices. For example, mining giant BHP (ASX:BHP) is aiming to reduce its operational greenhouse gas emissions by 30%, as well as support 40% emissions intensity reduction of chartered shipping of its products.
Hu says initially she had a lack of understanding of the industry and since being a part of programs like QMEA she has gained knowledge in how mining works.
“Some of my mentors I have kept in contact with, and they’ve helped me through this process a little bit as well. But I do think dedicated programs would be so helpful.”
In a sector that is constantly evolving, the mining industry must do more than tell the next generation where it is going – it needs to show them where they belong with it. Because you can’t be what you can’t see.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy, Queensland Government, & Queensland Resources Council
