If it can’t be grown (of fished) it has to be mined, and almost everything we use has been mined at some time. Is it the word “mining” that congers up a dirty, coal-streaked face with a hard hat and miners lamp on it? The industry has changed enormously, requiring technical skills, computer programming, remote operators and analysists. Should the industry ask for “mineral extractors” or “material processors” in order to attract bright young people to study the subject?

MTD Division Members and readers of this Newsletter may already be aware of the recent decision of the University of Exeter to “pause” recruitment for entry onto its undergraduate Mining Engineering degree programmes at the Camborne School of Mines (CSM), for 2021 entry.

It must be stressed that this is a “pause” and that staff and students have been assured of this. There are currently a number of initiatives that have arisen from this that stakeholders can engage with, in particular with respect to promotion of the industry and the role and career of a mining engineer, as well as how to make such undergraduate courses and careers attractive to young people. Recruitment to CSM’s undergraduate programmes in Geology is continuing as is recruitment to its wide range of Master’s courses including MSc Mining Engineering.

The issue with the Undergraduate course is not with the quality of the course or demand for these students graduating. The course has one of the highest employability rates in the College (one company alone has hired 15 of this year’s graduates), and is consistently high in both UK and international League Tables (such as 14th worldwide in the QS Minerals Mining and Minerals Rankings).

The problem is rather with “supply”, with numbers starting the course having reduced then plateaued over recent years. This year, 20 students are starting the course (15 UK/EU and 5 overseas) with another 4 overseas students joining the 2nd year, a number comparable if not slightly higher than recent years. An analysis of trends shows that the intake of students is cyclical, similar to the mining cycle but lagging it by a couple of years. We have been at the bottom of such a cycle in recent years and it has been made clear that the current numbers are unsustainable.

The University has stated that it will “explore a range of options to allow undergraduates to study mining, possibly through other engineering programmes”, the “University is steadfastly committed to mining teaching and research at the Camborne School of Mines” and that “there is a strong future for the study of mining at the University of Exeter”. With this in mind for the duration of the pause, staff and industry stakeholders have been given the opportunity to look at the existing offering and explore ways of making a course more visible, and attractive to young people.

In terms of programme content there is a lot to cover in any such course. A recent document prepared by the Society of Mining Professors has defined mining engineering as being the practice of applying engineering principles to the evaluation, planning, operations, closure and reclamation of mines in a safe, profitable and socially acceptable way, i.e. covering the full life cycle and value chain. There has been a lot of talk about the “digital mine” and mining companies will look to mining schools to upgrade the digital knowledge and skills of their employees.

The question asked of Members is what does the mining engineer of the future look like? What subjects are really core to their required skills and competencies over the next 20 years?

However, all this won’t come to much unless all industry stakeholders come together in addressing the supply issue. This needs to come through promotion of the discipline and improving the perception of the industry. It has been noticed that mining has virtually disappeared from websites and other material promoting careers within engineering and so is pretty much invisible to prospective students despite the interesting and exciting times ahead for the UK and International mining industry. A recent report by the World Bank has stated that the production of minerals is going to increase considerably to meet the growing demand for clean energy technologies and this needs to be part of the message – mining is part of the solution, not the problem. Our Institute has a key role to play in this, ensuring it gives due credence to this area in its outreach activities to promote the subject to young people and to help change and shape the perception of mining.

The question asked of Members is how can we best promote our industry? How do we change any negative perceptions? What more can we do to get an accurate, factual message across?