Mining industry faces youth gap as misconceptions persist, Sudbury students say

Industry leaders and students say common misconceptions are keeping youth from pursuing mining careers at a time when Canada faces a growing labour shortage.

The Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada held its 94th annual convention in Toronto this week. The four-day event brings together industry leaders, investors, government officials, Indigenous communities and students from around the world.

A key focus this year was shaping the future of the mining industry, including efforts to attract more young people into the field.

The Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR), an independent non-profit that works with companies, labour groups, educators and Indigenous partners, reports significant growth in the sector over the past two decades.

The mining supply services workforce has grown from roughly 7,965 workers in 1999 to 27,165 workers in 2022, an annual growth rate of 5.5 per cent.

But MiHR data also points to a widening age gap. The share of workers under 25 has dropped from 17.5 per cent to five per cent over the past decade. Meanwhile, workers aged 55 and older have increased from 10.5 per cent to 15.8 per cent, raising concerns about future labour shortages as experienced workers retire.

Devon Patterson, a fourth-year earth sciences student at Laurentian University with a minor in environmental chemistry, says many young people simply don’t see mining as an option.

“Mining and mineral exploration are very misunderstood by the general public,” Patterson said.

Patterson, who is from Serpent River First Nation, holds an advanced diploma in chemical engineering technology and discovered geology after taking an elective course.

“I never really got the opportunity to have my guidance counsellors in high school, for example, offer geology or mining engineering as a viable career trajectory,” he said.

He believes outdated perceptions are part of the problem.

“This isn’t their grandfather’s mining industry. This is a new and technologically advanced, environmentally conscious and ethical industry in a lot of ways compared to the past,” he explains.

Members of the Laurentian University Earth Science Club echo that concern about awareness.

“Exposure is such a huge part of getting kids to go into these careers. I was fortunate to take the earth and space science class, but the course got cancelled the next year, and there are very few schools that even offer that,” said Ali Garland, a third-year earth sciences student.