Minerals Matter

Honoured to present at the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (IOM3) conference today in Birmingham! A heartfelt thank you to Colin Comberbach for the invitation to speak and to Sorcha Donnelly for her remarkable coordination skills bringing this outstanding industry event together. The exchange of ideas and networking opportunities at these professional gatherings is invaluable for advancing our Mining sector. ⚒ What's became abundantly clear from our discussions today is that many of us found our way into mining almost by chance (or just wanted to work in a big hole, or big yellow machinery). The common misconception that our industry is dying seems largely tied to the decline of UK's coal mining - despite the fact that the UK still maintains 2,000 active mines and quarries! The cutting-edge technology showcased at today's event demonstrates just how alive, dynamic and forward-looking our sector truly is. To secure our industry's future, we must take Kate Thornton message to heart and begin education at the primary school level. I strongly encourage everyone to support this, and the exceptional STEM ambassador work Hannah Higley leads through Minerals Matter. Getting involved is a direct way to inspire the next generation of mining professionals. Let's change the narrative about our essential industry together! If it's not grown 🚜, it's mined ⚒👷♀️👷♂️ #ProfessionalDevelopment #IOM3 #MiningIndustry #Geospatial #IndustryLeadership #AMTMS25 #AdvancesInMiningTechnology #Drones #LIDAR #MineSurveying #IfItsNotGrownItsMined #MineralsMatter #STEM

Work Experience—Breaking Barriers for Care-Experienced Young People 💼 Year 10 students across the country are searching for work experience placements—are you offering one? For many young people, securing a placement is as simple as asking a parent, family friend, or neighbour. But for care-experienced students, it’s not that easy. 📢 Here’s the reality: 🔹 41% of care leavers aged 19-21 are unemployed (Source: DfE). 🔹 Only 13% enter university, compared to 45% of their peers (Source: UCAS). 🔹 Less than 2% go into apprenticeships (Source: Impetus). 🚀 How can work experience change these stats? ✅ Increases awareness—Many care-experienced young people haven’t had exposure to different careers. Work experience helps them explore options and set goals. ✅ Improves confidence—Spending time in a workplace helps young people develop communication skills, independence, and self-belief. ✅ Builds networks—Care leavers often lack the family connections that help others get jobs. A supportive employer can become their first professional contact. ✅ Creates pathways—A positive placement can lead to future employment, apprenticeships, or training opportunities. So, if you’re an employer—are you offering a placement? 🔹 How do you recruit for work experience? 🔹 Could you offer structured placements for care-experienced young people? If we want to reduce youth unemployment, increase access to education, and break cycles of disadvantage, then work experience isn’t just "nice to have"—it’s essential. Let’s open up opportunities for everyone. If you want to help I am happy to make introductions to local schools and young people that need these opportunities. #WorkExperience #CareLeavers #SocialMobility #Employment #EarlyCareers #Education #TheFamilyBusiness #careers

I wrote an article on collecting minerals and ore from UK companies as part of an ongoing schools outreach project in the UK! Thanks again to everyone involved in providing samples to help our resources. #mining #outreach #rocks

🧡Sharing the GeoResources love!🩵 Cornwall Mining Alliance and Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter, alongside Minerals Matter Celtic Sea Power and Careers Hub - Cornwall & Isles of Scilly, were in the spotlight once again—this time focusing on developing a new #workforce for Cornwall’s rapidly growing #GeoResources sector. Discussions covered key topics such as talent pipelines, #upskilling, career transitioning, bridging skills gaps, and school outreach to raise awareness of opportunities in the industry. A huge thank you to our members who contributed to the careers fair, engaging with over 100 Year 8 students from schools across Cornwall about potential career pathways in GeoResources. Cornish Lithium Plc Imerys Cornish Metals Inc. Petrolab Gravity Mining Limited Geevor Tin Mine Museum Geothermal Engineering Ltd Eden Geothermal Limited WHEAL MARTYN TRUST Many thanks to STEM Learning Mark Ebden for organising and Future Skills Institute, Truro and Penwith for hosting a fantastic GeoResources Futures Day! Looking forward to collaborating on similar initiatives in the future. Ola Zawalna-Geer David Mildren Tom Lal Lucy Cotton James Strongman Lucy Crane Sam Tellam Hannah Higley Libby Rose Suzie Doe William Parker Clare Sleeman Clint Hosking #GeoResources #Careers #STEM #Mining #FutureWorkforce #Cornwall #GeothermalEnergy #Cornwall #UKSPF #CIoSGoodGrowth #GeoResourcesFuturesDay