206 Attracting and Educating a 21st Century Mining Workforce: Addressing the Need for a Resilient Domestic Supply of Critical Minerals

Tuesday, 24 September 2024
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Ballroom A&B

THE SCARCITY OF QUALIFIED GEOLOGISTS AND THE CHALLENGE OF ASSEMBLING A TEAM TO MANAGE CRUCIAL MINERAL PROGRAMS IS A PRESSING ISSUE, POTENTIALLY SURPASSING THE DIFFICULTY OF MAKING NEW DISCOVERIES

Paper number: 206-3
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 1:55 PM – 2:15 PM

Authors

Abstract

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, we are not going to run out of metals like Cu, In, Pd, and Pt anytime soon. But do we have enough qualified geologists to find them? To further complicate matters, we need to seek new elements that we don’t yet have experience to find or have the current number of qualified people to teach new skills. Geology also requires working and understanding increasing undercover terrains that requires a strong core knowledge of geological skills.

This means that we require quantities of well-trained geologists, but where do they come from and what will their training look like? Currently we have a limited availability of field courses and few summer jobs so this quickly limits how productive and successful geology graduates can be.

The current challenges are varied: Number of new geologists and the completeness of their education, e.g. limited field experience or lacking core skills e.g. structural, geochemistry and petrological geology. Lack of knowledge in general about strategic metals. Recruitment results in a limited number of highly sort after candidates in which to build a team, you’ll need to be quick before someone else recruits them.

Company training programs can address the lack of core geology skills but ultimately these are costly and timely but nevertheless probably unavoidable in the future. Limited or no summer work will quickly limit the geology gene pool as students drop out without the required skills.

How do we beef up the student intake to try and fill this current shortfall? Making up numbers means increasing support for schools than can teach the required skills and support Professors to teach new strategic metal courses.

We need to massively increase the outreach and enthusiasm to counter decades of anti-mining mindsets, alternative energy requires increased supplies that must be mined. The best qualified geologists stand the best chance of making a strategic mineral discovery that can be used to transform society, these geologists will ultimately become legendary.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 56, No. 5

doi: 10.1130/abs/2024AM-405724

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