Those educating the next generation in the mining and underground sector have faced extenuating circumstances beyond normal technical challenges. Low enrollments, misunderstandings about what mining is and what it involves, misperceptions about mining and its effects on the environment, and ignorance of the numerous career opportunities in the field of mining have contributed to a precipitous downturn in enrollments. Many open positions with no trained pipeline of people to fill them have the mining and underground construction industry stressed too. This is a recurring theme.
