Click here for photos of the teachers’ Millmerran site tour

Click here for photos of the students’ workshop

Millmerran teachers had professional development with a powerful twist at a recent tour of Millmerran Power operations, giving them a greater understanding of the energy sector and how it can be applied to curriculum back in the classroom.

Millmerran State School P-10 Principal, Jason Edmondstone, said the teachers’ experience on the site tour gave them a local perspective to science and technology lessons with a focus on the energy sector.

“It is really important, as educators, we connect curriculum to the real-world, making subjects like physics and chemistry more relevant to the students,” said Mr Edmonstone.

“The site tour was really beneficial for our educators and gave them a comprehensive understanding of the Millmerran Power operations.”

The teachers’ professional development tour was delivered by Millmerran Power in partnership with the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA), the education arm of the Queensland Resources Council (QRC).

It was not just the teachers enjoying the benefits of the QMEA and Millmerran Power partnership, with students also participating in a ‘Beakers. ‘Bots. Build’ workshop yesterday.

In the workshop, Year 9 students explored data technology with robotics, solved problems to direct laser beams and designed and built model conveyor sample selectors.

The class at Millmerran State School have this term researched the technology used at Millmerran Power Station to improve the efficiency of electricity generation and studied the role of Millmerran Power Station in Australia’s energy mix.

Katrina-Lee Jones, QRC Policy Director for Skills, Education and Diversity, said the workshop had greater relevance to the students with Neil Burtenshaw from Millmerran Power on hand to support the students and answer questions about the energy sector.

“Students had the chance to get hands-on with science and technology—whether programming robots, experimenting with clean water solutions, or learning how power stations keep our lights on,” Neil said.

“It’s all about sparking their curiosity and showing how STEM connects to real-world challenges and careers,” he said.

“By the end of the workshop they could also identify the range of roles involved in energy operations like Millmerran Power, which we hope has given them some ideas on potential career pathways.”