Motivational Factors Driving Career Choices in the Minerals Sector (5B2)

Project Status: Complete
Project Leader: Dan Churach (CSRP)

Sustainability issues within the mineral processing sector can only be confronted and solved by qualified research, engineering and management personnel keen on building a better, more efficient industry in Australia. As the current generation of employees increasingly leave the industry, only a sustainable supply of the best and brightest human resource the nation has to offer will allow for the sector (including research organisations such as CSRP) to move forward.

Though CSRP and others have a variety of programs in place seeking to alleviate this crisis, basic research is needed into determining the motivational factors that move young people into making career choices, particularly concerning the mineral resource sector.

The research objectives were to:

• Determine what factors have driven the career selection process for current engineering, scientific and management employees within the mineral resource sector.
• Determine the extent to which any identified motivational factors influencing career choice may be pertinent to current students studying university majors that will lead to careers within the industry.
• Validate the procedures and instruments used in obtaining these career data in order to establish statistical confidence in the findings.
• Determine any similarities or differences in motivational drivers influencing career choices among various vocational pathways within the minerals and energy sector.
• Apply these conclusions to the enhancement of career education and industry recruiting programs and thus contribute to a sustainable supply of qualified personnel.