Click here for photos from the Collinsville SHS trade workshops

Collinsville State High School students had a 3-day trades bonanza last week with over 40 students attending a trade workshop, visiting a mine site and participating in an apprenticeship readiness program.

The trade activities were delivered by the QMEA Resources Skills Academy in partnership with Glencore Coal, giving the students a greater understanding of the trade roles involved in Glencore’s Collinsville mine.

Stella De Best, Human Resources Manager at Glencore Coal said the mine site visit was the perfect follow-Coup to the Year 10s Tradies for a Day workshop.

“Our tradespeople enjoyed showing the students around our Collinsville open-cut mine after spending a day with them in the school workshop,” Ms De Best said.

“Visiting the mine gave the students a real appreciation of how important trade roles are in the production, processing and transportation of coal.”

Year 9 trade-pathway students also got involved, participating in a full-day apprenticeship awareness program.

Jen Hoyle, QMEA Director, said Year 9 Trades and Traineeships program was designed to give the students a deeper understanding of different trade roles and practical information about applying for apprenticeships.

“By the end of the day the students had a good understanding of the trade roles and traineeships available to them as a pathway into the resources sector,” said Ms Hoyle.

Ms Hoyle said the aim of the workshops was to educate and inspire the students.

“National Skills Week’s theme this year is ‘Life Changing’, and workshops like this can be the moment a student discovers the trade career they want to pursue,” said Ms Hoyle.

“With ongoing demand for tradespeople, we’re focused on building a strong pipeline of future trade talent for the resources industry.”

For more information about trade careers in the resources sector visit: shapeourfuture.com.au