CRITICAL MINERALS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AT A STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY – RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION

Global climate and energy challenges are at the forefront of public policy, and technologies increasingly rely on critical minerals discovery, processing, and supply necessary for advanced energy and critical goods to support societal needs. State geological surveys continue to play an important role by providing unbiased and sound geologic information to the public, industry, academia, and government agencies for a variety of decision-making purposes, including economic and environmental impact. The critical minerals workforce is in high demand to fulfill the ever-increasing opportunities across the sector. With declining enrollment in geoscience and related programs, employers need robust recruitment and retention strategies to attract, develop, and retain team members. While the mission of the organization and intrinsic value of the work is a piece of that puzzle, prospective and new employees are looking for more from their work experience. This presentation will highlight some examples of successful strategies and programs implemented at the Missouri Geological Survey (MGS) to recruit and retain talent, as well as examples of student/employer networking and connections that resulted in permanent hires. Notable examples of the variety of critical minerals projects completed and underway also will be discussed.