9
Reflections
Wrapping up the workshop, Eric Riggs, California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, expressed gratitude to the workshop sponsor, speakers, and participants and offered closing reflections on the information and ideas that were shared.
In its opening sessions, the workshop presented a contrast between the essential role of mineral resources in enabling many facets of modern life and the struggles the industry faces in recruiting a workforce to support that role in the coming decades. As enrollments in fields such as economic geology and mining engineering fall, student recruitment remains a key challenge. Additionally, many of the U.S. mining programs are not financially viable, according to academic administrators and leaders. To encourage more students to engage, speakers suggested working across disciplines and programs, explicitly involving industry, and reframing programs to focus more on benefits for the environment and society.
The workshop’s second session highlighted a wide range of disciplines and skills relevant to the future mineral resources workforce. Speakers pointed to core disciplines of mining, chemical, civil, mechanical and geological engineering; geoscience; and metallurgy, as well as supporting fields such as geostatistics and mathematics; data and analytics; information technology, computer science, and technology; and environmental sciences. Underscoring the relevance of the social sciences and humanities, speakers also emphasized the importance of building communication skills, as well as exposure to accounting and finance, and legal and regulatory matters, in equipping a well-rounded workforce for success in the field.
The third session highlighted a variety of research and training opportunities supported by federal agencies, while also underscoring the importance of cross-agency communication in light of the fact that no single agency has central authority over minerals. In the fourth session, panelists shared examples of internships, professional development, and mentorship programs, which can help to increase student exposure and interest, develop skills and experiences for both students and faculty, and lead to employment in the industry. Breakout sessions offered an opportunity for participants to suggest concrete actions that academia, agencies, and industry could pursue in order to more effectively engage upper-level high school students and college students.
For the final workshop session, panelists examined the important goal of increasing worker retention and the central role of culture in achieving that. Noting that focusing on recruitment without improving retention is like filling a leaky basket with water, speakers highlighted the importance of taking sexual harassment seriously as a business problem, attending to the needs of workers at different stages of life and their careers, cultivating a sense of belonging, and preparing workers for growth and success.
Given recent trends, the task of building a robust workforce akin to a tree-and-root system, as described in the opening presentation, will be no small feat, but Riggs closed with an expression of optimism. “Clearly, engaging students is a huge challenge, but we can do it if we are open and honest, and if we leverage our partnerships. There are concrete examples out there working today of integrated activities between universities, industry, and agencies that can be replicated, and we need to see how they can be scaled up,” said Riggs. “[It is] not easy, [but] not impossible. We can do this if we provide the right energy and the right commitment.”
