Let’s get digital!
15 June 2021
Moranbah students will hack into the digital world today when renowned digital technologies educator Dr Damien Kee comes to town, thanks to the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) and Arrow Energy.
About 40 students will take part in the My Digital World CQ workshop run by the QMEA, the education arm of the Queensland Resources Council.
“Students will have LEGO EV3 Robots on the move when they program them to improve business processes in real-life scenarios,” said QRC’s Director of Skills, Education and Diversity, Katrina-Lee Jones.
“As well as bringing science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) topics to life, the students will also benefit from contact with Arrow staff who use STEM every day, and will talk about the many career paths leading from STEM studies,” she said.
Arrow Energy’s Production Manager Bowen, Fraser Bloxham said Arrow’s staff would set the scene and mentor the students as they problem solved and prepared a presentation for delivery at the end of the day. “We very much enjoy seeing the students engage in teamwork, communication and out of the box thinking, which is part and parcel of the modern-day resources sector, and skills that are very much in demand,” he said.
Moranbah State School Principal Anthony Edwards said the workshops helped students relate their studies to the real world and encouraged them to think about career paths they might not have considered.
“We are so fortunate to have the Arrow staff and Dr Damien Kee here to broaden our students’ horizons,” he said.
“And they will leave a lasting legacy, with our teachers also benefiting from workshops to help them bring STEM alive in their classrooms.”
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.