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About 60 local students today learned there’s a lot more to powering our homes and businesses than just flicking a switch when they took part in a workshop organised by the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA), the education arm of the Queensland Resources Council (QRC).

Students from Chanel College, Tannum Sands, Toolooa and Gladstone state high schools took a deep dive into the intricacies of the National Energy Market (NEM) and watched it live in action in a first for the workshop being conducted at Central Queensland University with event sponsor APLNG.

“They also learned about the different sources of energy, from coal to wind and solar and how they interact in the market,” said QRC Director Education and Skills Katrina-Lee Jones.

“Students gained a better understanding of what it takes to power homes and businesses by looking at energy production, trading, and the national grid.

“It was a fantastic exercise in critical thinking for the students, and brought some of their classroom work to life.”

Rob Gibb, Manager Communities and Sustainable Development for Australia Pacific LNG’s downstream operator ConocoPhillips Australia, said their staff enjoyed telling students about the great careers available in the energy and resources sectors, and what they need to achieve at school to step onto those pathways.

“We hope the workshop encouraged them to consider some careers that might not have been on their radars, particularly female and Indigenous students,” he said.

“There are currently almost 700 power generation vacancies in Queensland, and we have critical shortages of occupations such as trades and engineers, so stepping into these areas sets students up for a bright future.

“We’ll be really interested to see what they come up with when they assess current energy consumption in Australia and forecast their own blue prints for our energy sector in 50 plus years.”

As Australia’s largest and most successful industry-led education and skills training initiative, the QMEA seeks to broaden student and teacher knowledge of career opportunities in resources.

The academy encourages a talent pipeline of employees into VET and STEM-related careers, with a focus on female and Indigenous participation. The QMEA currently engages with 80 schools and is a partnership between the QRC and the Queensland Government under its Gateway to Industry Schools program.

Media Contact: Caroline Morrissey  0417 770893 or Carolinem@qrc.org.au