AusIMM to launch Working Group on Resources Industry Future Workforce

In 2019, AusIMM held its Resources Education Collaboration Summit, centred around exploring the conversation, concerns and practical initiatives regarding education and the mining and METS industry.

As part of this Summit, key recommendations were made. One recommendation was to investigate establishing an overarching collaborative industry body to take ownership of this space, and another was to focus on supporting future forecasting needs of the sector.

Over the last six to eight months AusIMM has been engaging broadly with mining sector stakeholders within industry and academia to explore establishing a new collaborative body to respond to the critical and complex issue of the resources industry future workforce pipeline. This proposal has received overwhelming support from various groups within industry, with encouragement for it to be led by AusIMM as a professional association.

The urgent need is to collect and collate data on the demand and supply of graduates required to support the minerals industry and to build an accurate industry forecast of the workforce pipeline.

As such, the AusIMM Board has approved the foundation of a ‘Working Group on Resources Industry Future Workforce’. Over the coming months this group will focus on the immediate task of gathering data from universities and industry to forecast supply and demand while mapping any gaps. AusIMM aims to finalise this in a report for industry and academia, bridging information and data gaps. This will be a document that can form the basis of advocacy and education within our industry as well as to government.

Ideally this initial project of work would take place over the next four to six months by the working group as we build the framework for an overarching collaborative industry body going forward.

The composition of the working group will be small and targeted, ensuring a hands-on diverse and balanced representation of different sized stakeholders and peak bodies from industry and academia. Invites have been extended.

The working group will focus on the following areas:

• Devise and support a proactive approach to industry and universities to source robust, informative data on the supply and demand of graduates to support the minerals industry.
• Guide the development of a list of relevant industry and university stakeholders to approach, and best methods by which to approach.
• Provide insights and review into the desired types of data for collation from universities and industry.
• Develop definitions for the minerals related roles on which data will be sought.
• Review the project methodology and guide the data analyst.
• Share advice and feedback on the data analysis.
• Provide guidance on how the data and analysis should be collated for presentation to stakeholders, including government and universities, in order to engage the critical support and intervention required.
• Support the development of any requests to government and other stakeholders as required, including potentially recommending the establishment of a Council for Resources Industry Future Workforce.

This is a significant commitment by AusIMM to undertake this research, but one seen as critical for the future of the sector. AusIMM will provide updates on the working group as necessary, and are looking forward to leading such an impactful project as the trusted voice of resources professionals.

For questions regarding the working group please email policy@ausimm.com.