The Parker Centre is not isolated from the nationwide (if fact, worldwide) downturn in the number of school students electing to study metallurgy, chemistry, physics and chemical engineering at the undergraduate level. There are fewer students applying for MSc and PhD degrees in extractive metallurgy and fewer students interested in pursuing research careers in hydrometallurgy. The declining number of qualified bachelor degree holders is a problem that offers a significant challenge for the Centre in particular, and the minerals industry in general, in the coming years.

Although the Centre does attempt to have some direct influence on school students (eg the Parker Centre Lecture for Year 11 and 12 chemistry and physics students and the "For School Students" website area), it also acknowledges the difficulty of having an immediate effect on the career choices of high school students. Because of this reality, the Education Program has elected to develop a working relationship with secondary school science teachers throughout Western Australia. The Centre believes that by better educating these teachers, their students will have greater opportunity to learn of career options in minerals processing and find out about the relevant university courses available.

This initiative offers a public relations benefit by raising the profile of the Centre in the Western Australian community at large. It could also result in more students completing bachelor degrees in "feeder" disciplines (such as metallurgy, chemistry, chemical engineering and other physicals sciences) within a few years.

A program of outreach activities was initiated in 2003 in response to recognition by the Parker Centre and Extractive Metallurgy staff at Murdoch University that there is a need for professional training of teachers in extractive metallurgy.

This outreach program includes professional development courses, tours of Centre research facilities and visits to mines and processing plants operated by the Centre's industry partners.

Outreach Program (link to details of the Centre's activities for teachers)

The Centre's outreach activities have been extremely popular, with very positive feedback from the teachers taking part. Over 70 teachers have now participated in one or more activities. An on-going relationship is being maintained with these teachers, who receive regular updates from the Centre's Education Program Manager by e-mail.

In 2005, the Parker Centre worked with some of these teachers in a new way: as partners in the "Identifying and Processing E-Waste” project and the “Dispose of Properly: Dry Cell Battery Recycling” project. These projects were funded by the Australian Government through the SCIps (School, Community and Industry partnerships in science) Project, which is managed by the Australian Science Teachers Association.

Article about these projects: The Parker Centre Partners Schools on Metals Recycling

Articles written by Dr Dan Churach, the Parker Centre's Education Program Manager from January 2002 to June 2005, about the outreach program:

Bridging the Gap: Science Teachers Hold the Key to Our Future (January/February 2004 issue of The AusIMM Bulletin, the Journal of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy)

Teacher-Industry Synergies: A Convergence of Problems Offers Sustainable Solutions (August 2004 issue of SCIOS, the Journal of the Science Teachers' Association of Western Australia)