Click here for photos and video from the competition

Over 20 primary school students from Collinsville State School, St John Bosco Catholic School and Scottville State School completed the annual STEM Proud Competition at the Collinsville Community Football Club on Friday 9 October.

Delivered by the QMEA Resources Skills Academy in partnership with Thiess, the students, from Years 3-6, worked in teams to build and program robots and complete a series of digital technology challenges.

The competition was led by internationally recognised educational robotics and digital technologies expert Dr Damien Kee who ran student workshops and teacher professional development with each of the schools in the lead up to the competition on Friday.

QMEA Director, Jen Hoyle, said the STEM Proud competition gave younger students an exciting, practical introduction to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

“STEM comes to life when students solve problems together and see their robot complete a challenge,” said Ms Hoyle.

“Competitions like this build confidence, spark curiosity and show young people how classroom skills connect with the resources and energy sector.”

Thiess Senior Advisor, Social Performance, Eliza Young, said it was great to see firsthand how the students worked together, shared ideas and cheered each other on through robotics challenges based on real industry activities like sampling, train loading and site access.

“What stood out was their willingness to give something a go, see what happened and then make changes to improve the result,” Ms Young said.

“The code didn’t always work the first time, and that was part of the learning.

“Problem-solving, teamwork and the ability to learn and adapt are skills that will serve these students well wherever they go, and they’re the same skills that make a great career in mining. It was a privilege to support them and watch their curiosity, creativity and determination shine through.”

After a fun full day of competition, St John Bosco School was announced winner of the school award and ‘The Blockies’ from Collinsville State School received the best team award.