By MATT CHAMBERS, SENIOR RESOURCES REPORTER
12:00AM AUGUST 29, 2018
THE AUSTRALIAN
Mining industry alarm over plummeting enrolments at Australian universities is
growing, with forecasts that demands for more flexible and lifestyle-focused careers
could leave the nation’s universities producing just a quarter of the graduates needed.
While signs of skills shortages are becoming evident in the industry as conditions
improve, mining bosses are more worried about enrolments in courses like mining
engineering and metallurgy that have fallen off a cliff in recent years.
They say the declines far outweigh what could reasonably be expected by a mining
downturn.
South32 chief executive Graham Kerr said heavily reduced enrolments would hit the
industry in the next five to 10 years.
“There is clearly an element of the job nature changing over time. We’ll have more
data scientists but, my god, we will still need those mining engineers, civil engineers
and metallurgists,” Mr Kerr told The Australian after the company released its
accounts last week. “It’s something the industry needs to take more of an interest in.”
He said the decline was much worse than could be attributed to the tough times in the
industry in recent years. “The change in dynamic now is with flexible workplaces,
telecommuting and young people having a lot more options,” Mr Kerr said.
By MATT CHAMBERS, SENIOR RESOURCES REPORTER
12:00AM AUGUST 29, 2018
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“When I first started with BHP, I went to Newman and then Port Hedland. But the
thought of many people around that age now of doing that is not appealing … they
have job opportunities here and they value lifestyle a bit more over career.”
According to the Minerals Council, Australia’s mining engineering graduates are
projected to drop by more than two-thirds between 2017 and 2020, from 171 to 47.
MCA modelling says more than 200 new graduates are needed annually to counter
those leaving the industry.
Newcrest chief Sandeep Biswas said the looming shortage was more concerning than
the skills tightness being experienced right now.
“What worries me, particularly in the technical space, is the number of people doing
mining engineering and metal engineering has seen a sharp drop off at all the
universities across the board,” Mr Biswas said.
“My fear, a few years down the track, is where (to find) young people, the talented
people entering the workforce in those particular disciplines that will essentially
underpin Newcrest and other companies for years to come.”
The issue was raised at the annual Diggers and Dealers mining conference in
Kalgoorlie this year by chairman Nick Giorgetta. He said the problem was approaching
crisis levels and that mining engineering enrolments were a tenth of where they were
in 2012.
Mr Kerr said the industry needs to promote itself better and change its offerings.
“We need to remind people of the importance of the industry and how they can have a
career that is rewarding and fulfilling and challenging,” he said.
“The challenge is how do you create that environment where people still have to do
some time at the operations and get some experience and they have a career path that
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doesn’t mean they are always stuck in the Pilbara or the Bowen Basin, that there are
other opportunities to cycle through,” he said.
The history of the Western Australian School of Mines Alumni (WASMA) reflects the ups and downs of the Western Australian School of Mines (WASM) and the role it has played in supporting graduates in a range of activities and events. It also describes the important role that graduates have played in ensuring WASM remains in Kalgoorlie. Learn more.
