The
theme at this year's AusIMM New Leaders Conference in Ballarat was The Minerals
Industry - Future Directions for New Leaders'. There was a strong focus on the
recruitment and retention of trained and skilled graduates and new professionals
into the mining profession. This paper highlights some of the key findings and
discussion points from the New Leaders Conference. While some of the main causes
of the decline in attracting new geoscientists to the mining industry have been
identified, there still remains a lack of accountability among a number of
Australian mining companies. Some of the factors identified that are driving new
graduates away from the industry include; the social and geographical isolation,
the long hours in challenging conditions and a difficulty in obtaining work
straight out of University. Often there appears to be no clear opportunities
within companies for career development and advancement. The opinion also still
persists that the mining industry is lagging behind in both environmental and
technical developments, which makes entry to the industry unattractive.
Solutions that some of the large players in the Australian mining industry are
implementing to help reverse the trend include targeted marketing of the
lifestyle, money, freedom and travel offered in the mining industry, the
development of graduate recruitment programmes and much more emphasis on the
quality and reputation of the companies themselves. Incentives to attract
families have also been significant in attracting and retaining employees whom
otherwise would have left the workforce. However, more still needs to be done to
completely reverse this trend and the mining industry needs to continue to be
proactive in marketing itself as a desirable employer and career choice option
for students and new professionals.