UK Critical Minerals Website Showcase - 18 May 2026
- kirstycriticalmineral
- 16 hours ago
- 6 min read
Over 150 representatives from government, industry and academia came together in London on 18 May 2026 as the Critical Minerals Association (CMA) (UK) hosted the UK Critical Minerals Website Showcase — Ministerial Launch. The evening marked the launch of the new UK Critical Minerals website, designed and developed by CMA (UK) and SeaDog IT and part funded by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), with Minister for Industry Chris McDonald MP in attendance. Findings from the 'Closing the Gap: Skills for Critical Materials Roadmap', supported by Innovate UK, were also shared. The evening showcased the breadth of UK activity in the sector against the backdrop of the UK Government's Critical Minerals Strategy.
All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Critical Minerals
The day opened with the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Critical Minerals convening a dedicated session on skills at 1 Parliament Street, chaired by Noah Law MP and Perran Moon MP.
Discussions centred on the growing recognition that skills development represents one of the most significant long-term constraints facing the UK's critical minerals ambitions, with speakers warning that workforce shortages risk undermining both the UK Critical Minerals Strategy and wider industrial policy objectives without coordinated action.
Martyn Cherrington from Innovate UK presented findings from the Skills Roadmap, highlighting challenges across the entire value chain and the need for a cross-sector skills task force, alongside Innovate UK's work through the CLIMATES programme and a new critical materials innovation network. Becca Kirk, co-author of the report, stressed that the scale of workforce risk remains poorly understood, pointing to the need for better forecasting, and flagged shortages in ESG expertise and limited apprenticeship pathways.
Fraser Gardiner of Aberdeen Minerals offered an industry perspective, noting that labour shortages are expected to intensify as projects move into development, with strong pressure in specialist areas such as drilling and growing competition for talent from renewables and oil and gas.
Dr Kevin Stephen from the Earth Science Teachers Association highlighted the limited presence of geology and minerals in the national curriculum, warning that insufficient exposure to earth sciences at school level risks constraining the long-term talent pipeline. Broader discussion touched on circular economy skills, regional coordination, and the value of ambassador programmes in encouraging STEM careers.
Closing the session, Noah Law reflected on the importance of building a long-term skills pipeline, with participants agreeing that sustained coordination between government, industry and education will be essential as the sector looks to scale.
UK Critical Minerals Website Showcase
Kirsty Benham, co-founder and CEO of CMA (UK), opened by welcoming the broad audience spanning government, industry and academia — a reflection, she noted, of the growing energy behind the UK's critical minerals agenda. She spoke to the work behind the new UK Critical Minerals website and the importance of a central resource serving the whole sector, before introducing the skills roadmap and handing over to Minister McDonald for his keynote.
The address from Chris McDonald MP underscored the UK Government's commitment to the sector, describing critical minerals as a significant growth opportunity for the UK and highlighting their strategic importance to economic security, clean energy and advanced manufacturing. He championed the new UK Critical Minerals website, describing it as the largest critical minerals directory ever published in the UK — bringing together businesses, universities, research institutes and associations into a single public platform spanning funding, planning, innovation hubs, geological resources and international partnerships.
"There is a really strong growth opportunity for British businesses to start up and grow in the UK. But of course, a strategy like this isn't worth the paper it is written on [...] unless it turns into real action, and that's the place we are now, turning that strategy into action. We can see today, some steps in how that's working.”
- Minister for Industry Chris McDonald
The Minister also spoke to the Skills Roadmap, noting its focus on creating opportunities for young people — a key motivation of his, he said, for entering politics. He emphasised that a competitive sector depends on the right skills at every stage of the supply chain, and praised the roadmap for setting out a clear, evidence-based approach for industry, government and academia to align efforts over time.
Following the ministerial address, Eileen Maes, External Affairs Manager at the Critical Minerals Association (UK), took guests through a live demonstration of the new website. Navigating the platform in real time, Eileen showcased the breadth of resources available and illustrated how the site had been designed with the end user firmly in mind. Eileen walked attendees through the stakeholder engagement process that underpinned the site's development, drawing on roundtables, meetings, webinars and workshops across the sector.
This short video features industry and academia representatives reflecting on their involvement and how they would use the resource in practice.
Closing the Gap: Skills for Critical Materials Roadmap
The showcase turned to the second milestone of the evening. Bruce Adderley, Director of Advanced Manufacturing at Innovate UK, introduced the 'Closing the Gap: Skills for Critical Materials Roadmap,' speaking to Innovate UK's role in supporting the report and the importance of addressing the skills challenge as the UK looks to grow its critical minerals sector.
Becca Kirk, Technical Analyst at the Critical Minerals Association (UK), and co-author of the Skills Roadmap, took guests through the report's findings. The roadmap was developed through extensive stakeholder engagement across industry, academia and government, and drew on the views of 83 young people on their current industry perceptions.
Becca highlighted that 46% of industry respondents believe workforce shortages will directly impact their operations, driven by an insufficient talent pipeline, limited training capacity, and competition from other industries and countries. Key skills deficits were identified in low-carbon processing, circular economy and recycling, and AI and advanced analytics. On young people, the research found limited awareness of the role critical materials play in emerging technologies and national security, alongside continued negative associations with mining. Despite this, 57% said they would consider a career in the sector - a strong foundation to build on and a clear case for doing more to help people enter it.
Becca concluded by outlining recommendations centred on stronger government intervention, a dedicated skills taskforce, and stronger partnerships across industry, academia and training providers.
The evening was brought to a close by Mike Hill, Deputy Director of Critical Minerals at DBT, who offered thanks to all those who had made the evening possible.
He reflected on the significance of what had been launched, alongside a Skills Roadmap that would continue to be built upon in the years ahead. He closed by encouraging attendees to explore both resources and engage with the CMA, noting that the DBT Critical Minerals team continues to work on delivering the strategy, supporting inward investment and deepening international partnerships.
The event concluded with a drinks reception to celebrate these milestones. It was a fitting end to a landmark day, giving attendees the opportunity to connect, continue conversations and build on the energy that the launches had generated.
Conclusion
The UK critical minerals sector is gaining real momentum. The launch of the new UK Critical Minerals website and the publication of the Skills Roadmap reflect a growing and coordinated effort across government, industry, and academia to build a more connected, skilled, and resilient sector.
Skills and talent are central to the sector's future. The Skills Roadmap sets out clear recommendations for building the workforce the UK will need. Delivering on those recommendations will require sustained collaboration and commitment from organisations across the supply chain.
Access the UK Critical Minerals website: https://ukcriticalminerals.co.uk/
Read the Skills Roadmap here.
Whether you have thoughts on the new website, questions about the Skills Roadmap recommendations, or want to explore how your organisation can play a role — we'd love to hear from you. Get in touch with the CMA (UK) to continue the discussion.
The CMA (UK) would like to thank all those who attended and contributed to what was a valuable and celebratory evening. In particular, the DBT Critical Minerals team, Grace Humphries, Wilkie Briggs, Carolyn Potts and Gregory Plummer, the Innovate UK team, including Martyn Cherrington, Geraldine Matineau, Debra Jones and Heather Birch, as well as the SeaDog IT team for their work on web design.
Article by Elliott Trickey, Government Affairs, Critical Minerals Association (UK) and Hannan Ismail, Project Coordinator, Critical Minerals Association (UK)
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