Cloncurry kids get tech savvy
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Cloncurry students this week took part in a Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) workshop designed to test their creativity and problem-solving skills using technology.
The students built a sound, light and heat monitor while being mentored by staff from South32, who shared their career stories.
It’s the first time the workshop had been run in Cloncurry by the QMEA – the education arm of the Queensland Resources Council.
“The event also aimed to showcase how people from all fields work together for common goals,” said the QRC’s Manager, Skills & Education Matthew Heskett.
“After they were presented with a task involving environmental monitoring on a mine site, students were left to brainstorm, think critically and design a solution.
“These are all skills that will be in high demand in the workforces they enter and the South32 staff helped the students join the dots between school and these careers,” he said.
“Our staff enjoyed introducing the students to the resource sector and teaching them about the technical solutions that are used every day at Cannington Mine,” said South32’s Vice President Operations Cannington Joe Russell.
“It’s also really important that they get a taste for some of the careers available to them and how to get there,” he said.
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.