Click here for photos of St Joseph’s Nudgee College.
Click here for photos of San Sisto College.

The future of the resources industry is in great hands after a series of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) workshops helped bolster tech-savvy skills in two Brisbane classrooms, thanks to support from Queensland Resources Council (QRC) member companies.

The QMEA, which is the education arm of the QRC, recently visited St Joseph’s Nudgee College and San Sisto College to deliver its popular Beakers.Bots.Build workshop to enthusiastic Grade 9 students.

Nudgee students worked alongside representatives from Glencore Technology and Conoco Phillips who were on hand to mentor them through the activities.

QRC Director of Skills, Education and Diversity, Ms Katrina-Lee Jones said the Nudgee students eagerly completed exciting, hands-on tasks relating to resources industry applications.

“As the resources and energy sector continues to adapt to ‘Industry 4.0’, the demand for passionate and highly skilled people to fill roles like data analysts, drone pilots, and software engineers will only increase.

“Educational experiences like this are an excellent way to show students who are on the precipice of choosing subjects for their final senior school years the importance of continuing STEM studies.”

“We hope the activities from these unique workshops have inspired the next generation to consider a rewarding career in the industry, helping to further develop a sustainable talent pipeline for highly in-demand roles,” Ms Jones said.

The QMEA was thrilled to deliver the same workshop to a group of aspiring young women at St San Sisto College.

“About 30 young women embarked on a coding challenge to program Lego EV3 robots to autonomously move around a simulated mine site,” Ms Jones said.

San Sisto College Principal, Mr Bradley Barker said the students greatly benefited from having an experienced technology specialist from the resources industry at the workshop to guide them through the tasks.

“We know our students learn a lot from applying their classroom learning to real-world scenarios, so it was very valuable to have someone knowledgeable on hand to answer any questions they had,” Mr Barker said.

“The students also appreciated hearing about the potential education and training pathways available that can lead them to an exciting career after school.”

As Australia’s largest and most successful industry-led education and schools 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 vocational and professional careers, with a focus on female and Indigenous participation. The QMEA currently engages with 90 schools and is a partnership between the QRC and the Queensland Government under its Gateway to Industry Schools program.