Building a Future-Ready Workforce for Mining & Construction (February 26, 2024)

The Tucson Metro Chamber's Workforce Advocacy Team recently kicked off this quarter's Mining & Construction Roundtable, a critical forum for tackling the industry's future workforce needs. The event brought together industry leaders, educational partners, and other stakeholders to develop strategies for ensuring a skilled and prepared workforce for the next decade and beyond.  

Building on Past Discussions

The roundtable began by revisiting key points from October's workforce discussion with mining leaders. Here are some highlights:

• Education Pipeline and Collaboration: All agreed that stronger collaboration between mining companies, educational institutions, and workforce development agencies is crucial.
• Evolving Skill Sets and Qualifications: Participants noted a lack of hands-on experience in current educational programs, leading to deficiencies in problem-solving and basic maintenance skills. Additionally, a tight labor market necessitates innovative recruitment strategies to attract qualified talent.
• Attracting, Training, and Retaining Workforce: Strategies discussed included investing in tribal communities and ensuring equitable access to educational and employment opportunities.
• Addressing Environmental Concerns: A call was made for local governments to collaborate on creating a vision for mining in Arizona, focusing on environmental protection and the industry's potential to contribute to decarbonization efforts.

Charting a Course for the Future

Building on these insights, the roundtable delved into four key areas:

1. Education and Industry Collaboration

Challenge: How can we strengthen the connection between K-12/post-secondary education and the mining and construction industries to cultivate a more informed and interested student base?

Strategies Discussed:

• Collaboration is key. Career exploration should begin in middle school, highlighting the variety of roles available and emphasizing the industry's competitive salaries (30% higher than the state average).

• Another key strategy is fostering collaboration in talent recruitment to avoid competition for candidates.
• Finally, the group emphasized connecting student interests (like gaming and technology) to relevant career paths in mining and construction.

2. Rebranding the Industry

Challenge: How can we improve public perception, especially among younger generations?

Strategies Discussed:

• The roundtable stressed the compatibility of mining and a clean environment. The industry is crucial for paving the way to a green future.
• The group suggested creating a "Mining Day" event similar to the successful Southern Arizona Construction Career Day events.
• Bringing industry leaders into classrooms and debunking myths around the industry were also seen as effective strategies.

3. Skill Development

Challenge: Considering the skills gap, what training programs or educational initiatives can equip the future workforce?

Strategies Discussed:

• Collaboration emerged again as a key theme. The roundtable emphasized the importance of developing on-the-job training programs, apprenticeships, and internships.
• Partnerships with Pima Community College to ensure curriculum aligns with industry needs were also discussed, along with staying informed about evolving technologies.

4. Future Workforce Needs

Challenge: What workforce needs are projected for the next 5-10 years, and how can we work together to meet them?

Strategies Discussed:

• The group acknowledged that technology will continue to advance in the next 5-10 years. The future workforce will need to be adaptable, lifelong learners, strong communicators, and team players. Specialists in instrumentation and automation will be in high demand.

Next Steps

The next Mining & Construction Roundtable will be held on April 30, 2024, at the Tucson Metro Chamber. We especially encourage additional mining and construction representatives to attend. The discussion will build on the current conversation.  Register for the next roundtable by clicking here.