• Click here for 2025 QMEA student ambassadors camp photos
• Click here for 2025 QMEA student ambassador group photos

The next generation of explorers, engineers, electricians and environmental scientists were in Brisbane last week for a unique camp inducting them as Student Ambassadors for the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA).

The twenty ambassadors entering Year 12 in 2025 were selected after a competitive and state-wide process from QMEA schools.

The four-day camp immersed the student ambassadors into the world of mining, minerals and energy and introduced potential career pathways in resources.

The QMEA is the education arm of the Queensland Resources Council (QRC) and has been facilitating the Student Ambassador program for more than 10 years with many of the student alumni pursuing university STEM studies and trade apprenticeships after school.

Katrina-Lee Jones, QRC Director of Skills, Education and Diversity said the student ambassador program had been designed to expand the students’ knowledge of the resources industry and build their leadership skills.

“The students have a keen interest in STEM and the trades, being QMEA ambassadors will give them great connections with the resources industry and help guide their tertiary study or apprenticeship choices,” Ms Jones said.

“The 2025 ambassadors are impressive and represent our future workforce that will play a role in driving innovation, production and sustainability in the sector.”

QMEA ambassador camp the students:

• took a tour of the engineering facilities at The University of Queensland, including the Civil Lab and Hypersonic Lab, where experiments on space concepts like the speed of light are conducted;
• visited Glencore Technology facilities where they got a demonstration of chemical and mechanical processes and took a remote tour of the Isa Mill through virtual reality (VR) technology;
• learnt more about the energy sector with a visit to Origin’s head office and Genuity’s energy trading floor;
• had a tour of Core Resources’ Albion laboratories, discovering more about the critical role of innovation, exploration and careers in chemical and process engineering;
• visited the Safety in Mines Testing and Research Station (Simtars) to observe how the industry tests and manages health and safety risks like dust, gas, spontaneous combustion and emergency response procedures;
• checked out Hastings Deering’s Acacia Ridge facility where they had hands-on experiences in the auto electrics and diesel training centres and tried out the VR simulation units for operating excavators and haul trucks; and
• toured BHP’s Integrated Remote Operations Centre (IROC) in their Brisbane head office and found out more about BHP’s career pathways including apprenticeship, graduate, and internship programs.

“We are incredibly appreciative of our QRC members who have supported the camp and opened their doors to the student ambassadors,” Ms Jones said.

“The camp was a unique experience for the students and has set them up to be wonderful ambassadors for the QMEA in 2025 as we celebrate 20 years of education, training and skills.”

The QMEA is a partnership between the QRC and the Queensland Government under its Gateway to Industry Schools program.

The 2025 QMEA student ambassadors are: