The industry is not doing enough

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲’𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 - 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆.

One of the most unexpected (and rewarding) parts of launching 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘏𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘥 has been the number of conversations I’ve had with students and recent grads, all hungry to break into the commodities space. Bright, driven, and curious, just looking for direction in an industry that often feels opaque.

Honestly, as a sector, I don’t think we’re doing enough.

Yes, there are standout initiatives - Mat Halsall and the Liverpool Commodity Trading Hub come to mind. And the major players have graduate schemes…but let's face it: 20 offers from 10,000 applicants barely scratches the surface. Outside of that people are left hoping their recruiter has the right links.

Some firms go to university fairs, but we’re still playing a game of “who you know,” where knowledge is guarded instead of shared. That’s a loss for everyone.

If we want to attract the best minds, we need to be more open - giving students real insights, resources, and access before they’re left turning to strangers on LinkedIn to figure out how to get a foot in the door.

Commodity markets have never been more dynamic and the global push for critical minerals is only adding fuel. But we have work to do if we want to inspire the next generation to get in the game.