[ferro-alloys.com]Nick Giorgetta has issued an impassioned plea to improve Australia’s mining-related enrolments and the industry’s reputation, foreshadowing a future skills shortage as the resource sector’s greatest threat.

In his opening address at this year’s Diggers and Dealers mining forum in Kalgoorlie-Boulder this morning, the conference chairman identified dwindling enrolment numbers across the country’s tertiary institutions.

“To remain successful, however, we need to continually have a pipeline of the best and brightest students entering our industry,” Mr Giorgetta said.

“In my view, the big decline in the number of enrolments in mining engineering, metallurgy, geology and surveying is the biggest problem the industry will face in future years.

“If we don’t start succeeding in getting people to choose a career in mining, in five years’ time we will have problems satisfying the expected demand our industry will require.”

The comments come amid mounting industry pleas to attract budding students into mining studies, with Saracen Mineral Holdings boss Raleigh Finlayson leading the charge.

DIGGERS & DEALERS 2018: All the latest from this year’s mining forum

Curtin University’s $32 million, 228-bed Agricola facility, based in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is hosting just 61 students at the campus this semester.

There are 141 students enrolled to study at the WA School of Mines this year, excluding the external and fully online cohort.

Mr Giorgetta said the shortage needed to be dealt with promptly to continue to supply the mining sector’s future demand for skilled workers.

“This is approaching crisis level and action needs to be taken now,” he said.

“We require enrolments today, so that the skills pipeline is satisfied in the future.”

Mr Giorgetta also paid tribute to former long-serving conference director John Langford, who passed away last month, and announced that the media room at Diggers and Dealers would be named in his honour.

He also welcomed the conference’s new owners Myles Ertzen and Sharon Giorgetta, who is Mr Giorgetta’s daughter.

• [Editor:王可]