As the focus on sustainable resources increases, there is a rising need for skilled professionals to ensure the responsible and secure extraction of CRMs. This is essential to meet the growing demand for CRMs, strengthen Europe's competitiveness and to reduce its import dependence of CRMs. However, a notable challenge in Europe is the shortage of qualified specialists in the mining and mineral raw materials sector.

Mining studies face numerous challenges, particularly in translating theoretical knowledge into practical skills, which hinders the smooth transition from academic education to professional practice.  In addition, the field of mining engineering and its associated education sector are undergoing a sustained period of change, resulting in declining student numbers. This decline is largely due to negative societal perceptions of mining, whereby concerns about possible environmental degradation and social impacts overshadow its economic contributions. As public opinion shifts away from mining as a career choice, fewer students are attracted to the sector, which in turn exacerbates the skills gap and skill shortage in the mining industry. As a result, higher education institutions face challenges in securing the financial resources necessary to maintain the attractiveness of mining-related programs.

Hands-on learning experiences, such as field trips, are essential for effective mining education. However, these experiences are costly and often impractical for large groups of students. In addition, traditional teaching methods like lectures, which often lack student engagement, need to be replaced by more innovative approaches. This shift is being driven by technological advances and changing student attitudes to learning.

Virtual Excursions (VEs) are innovative educational tools that enhance the integration of scientific research with practical applications in industry, allowing students to safely engage with scenarios in the classroom that are often difficult to access or pose safety risks in real life. By simulating real-world mining environments through immersive online experiences, VEs enable students to explore current research and industry practices without geographical limitations. These virtual experiences encourage the exploration of sustainable practices and innovative solutions to today's mining challenges, aligning educational outcomes with market demands.

The IMMERSE (Immersive Virtual Tours on Critical Minerals for Clean Energy Transition) project is a pioneering initiative in educational innovation aimed at developing VEs to improve education in the CRMs sector. This collaborative effort unites leading universities from Europe and Australia to address the training gap for mining and geoscience professionals by implementing innovative teaching and learning practices that emphasize sustainability.

By simulating real-world mining scenarios, these VEs allow students to engage with complex concepts in a simulated environment, improving their understanding and retention of key principles. The project also aims to provide flexible, time and cost-saving teaching concepts to enhance the accessibility of educational materials. Through virtual technologies, these resources can be accessed anytime and anywhere, reducing the need for expensive field trips and specialized equipment. Moreover, IMMERSE will produce Open Educational Resources (OER) to ensure widespread access to high quality educational materials. In addition, the project aims to enhance the collaborative capacity of universities by fostering cross-border cooperation, particularly at EU level, enabling students and educators to address common challenges in the mining industry.