While it's been well reported that Queensland and Western Australia are experiencing a mining boom, the same cannot be said for the number of school leavers taking University mining courses.
Plenty of jobs have been created in the Mineral Resources industry with demand high for skilled, keen workers.
However, three universities from these states have lost hundreds of student places in its mining-related courses. It is thought that school-leavers are turning to the quicker pathways through working and vocational training in the resources industry rather than a degree.
Edith Cowan University in Perth, Central Queensland University in Rockhampton and Queensland University have cancelled more than 1,700 places in mining courses.
Federal Education Minister, Julia Gillard, said that this is the highest number of places handed back to the Government since the funding arrangements were introduced in 2005.
Representatives from all three universities said that the appeal of high wages in the mining sector was the primary reason they were unable to fill their quota of places allocated by the Government. The mining industry itself claimed that school-leavers were being encouraged by industry and government to take up vocational training in the workplace.
Professor of regional economic development from Central Queensland University, John Rolfe, said that 18-year olds could earn $60,000-$70,000 in the resources sector, rising to more than $100,000 by the time they were in their early 20s.
According to Rolfe: "We've got huge growth in resources jobs but it's sucking up a lot of young people and labour and we can't keep up with vocational and higher education."
He went on to say that "the problem is we will have an ongoing skills shortage out of this because we can't attract the young people. We as educational institutions can't compete on salaries or incentives."
The mining and resources sector is always in demand for workers, with it being predicted that they will require an additional 42,000 people by 2015 if it is to remain sustainable.
