As a student Aliesha Buckley dreamed of becoming an architect throughout high school, until her final year when she discovered engineering and mining.

“My school, San Sisto College, an all-girls school in Brisbane, joined the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) that year and I found out there are lots of different types of engineering, it isn’t just about fixing engines,” said Aliesha.

“And what really excited me was the potential engineering career I could have in the resources sector,” she said.

Aliesha’s story is one of many from students in the south-east who have had their minds opened to a future in resources and working in the regions thanks to the QMEA.

In the last financial year alone, the academy has engaged with over 3800 students in the south-east, delivering more than 100 workshops across 43 schools.

The education sector continues to be interested in engaging with industry, with more schools joining the QMEA network this year, including Moreton Bay Boys College, which has hosted its first STEM workshops with the academy this week.

Jen Hoyle, QMEA Director, said this success was all thanks to the support of Queensland Resource Council members, with many participating in the school workshops and sharing their career stories.

“For students like Aliesha in Brisbane, it can be a real light-bulb moment hearing from people working in resources and realising it is an industry where they can make a difference and play a role in future innovations – making mining more productive, safer and sustainable,” said Ms Hoyle.

And as for Aliesha, where did the discovery of engineering take her after school?

She has completed a Bachelor of Civil Engineering with a major in mining engineering at the University of Queensland and has now started a graduate engineering position with Thiess at their Lake Vermont operations in Central Queensland.

“It is exciting. There are lots of work opportunities with coal in Queensland and living in Dysart, exploring the local area, camping and hiking with friends has been great – this is the place for me,” said Aliesha.

“I never saw myself doing engineering at school, but I am loving it – the QMEA opened my eyes to what I could do and opened doors into the industry.”

For more information on careers in the resources industry visit shapeourfuture.com.au

To find out more about the QMEA visit: qmea.org.au

Click here for photos of Moreton Bay Boys College students in QMEA workshops.