- Clear and growing misalignment between graduate outcomes and labour market demand
- Mining’s future success will suffer if shortages in key disciplines aren’t fixed
- MCA outlines key priority actions to close gap
Australia’s universities are not producing the number or quality of graduates required to support the future success of Australia’s minerals industry – and in turn the nation’s prosperity and resilience.
The MCA’s submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Education and Employment’s inquiry into Australian university graduates describes a clear and growing misalignment between graduate outcomes and labour market demand.
This mismatch is leading to persistent shortages in key mining disciplines including engineering, metallurgy, geoscience and related STEM fields, along with declining enrolments and limited industry exposure.
If this is not fixed, mining will be handicapped in its ability to support economic growth and meet strong and growing demand for our energy resources, metals and critical minerals.
The submission proposes a range of measures to support a closer partnership between industry and universities and enable future success.
Recommendations:
- Expanding Commonwealth Supported Places in mining-relevant and strategically important disciplines, particularly in regional institutions: this would strengthen workforce pipelines, particularly in regional institutions where industry operates, while boosting participation, improving retention, and ensuring critical capabilities are developed in the communities that power Australia’s resource economy
- Introducing targeted course viability funding for low enrolment but high-impact programs: a targeted funding mechanism that recognises strategic value over enrolment volume would help secure Australia’s capacity in resource security, energy and critical minerals delivery and infrastructure development
- Embedding industry and workforce data into tertiary planning, funding and performance frameworks to ensure courses, qualifications and other offerings remain relevant to evolving workforce requirements
- Prioritising strategic disciplines and diversified STEM pathways, including interdisciplinary and applied learning models to strengthen capability in areas of national importance.
While Australia’s universities continue to provide solid technical foundations, many graduates enter the workforce without the applied, cross-disciplinary and digital capabilities required in modern, technology-enabled mining operations.
Demand for Australia’s world class metals and minerals from global urbanisation, electrification and low-emissions power generation is soaring.
If Australia is to make the most of these global megatrends, our industry must attract and retain a diverse, highly skilled workforce.
This means urgently expanding and future-proofing the mining skills pipeline to meet current and emerging workforce demands.
Industry and universities also need to reduce or eliminate persistent labour shortages across a range of critical scientific fields and professional occupations.
This is no longer an abstract future problem, but a clear and present danger for Australia’s minerals sector.
Skilled workers are already in high demand for infrastructure projects, such as technology and low-emissions energy, the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, defence, advanced manufacturing, AI and cybersecurity.
Meanwhile, Australian mining cannot find enough people to fill critical roles including geotechnical and processing engineers, metallurgists, geologists and mine surveyors.
Even as demand for skilled graduates rises, universities including Newcastle and Macquarie have closed entire departments while others have merged schools or reduced course offerings.
