They took part in  Beakers. Bots. Build workshops run by the Queensland Minerals and energy Academy (QMEA) and supported by New Hope Group.

“Our staff have been really looking forward to helping the students to gain an understanding of the design thinking process and work with EV3 Lego robots to simulate a mine site operation,” said Dave O’Dwyer, General Manager New Acland Mine

“Our resources sector is a big technology innovator and user so it’s important that students understand that they will need to study science technology engineering and maths related areas to prepare for careers with us,” he/she said.

Queensland Resources Council (QRC) Director Skills Education and Diversity Katrina-Lee Jones said the mentoring by the New Hope staff was invaluable as they gave first-hand accounts of what’s required to step onto resources sector pathways.

“It’s also very helpful for the students to understand the broad range of skills required by the resources sector,” she said.

“The hands-on engineering and robotics challenges will also show students how their classroom work relates to real-word applications.

“We hope this will encourage students to seek careers in science, technology engineering and maths (STEM) and open their eyes to the many STEM-based careers available in the resources sector.”

The QMEA is a partnership between the Queensland Resources Council (QRC) and the Queensland Government under its Gateway to Industry Schools program. It has 76 schools throughout Queensland.

QRC is the peak representative body for Queensland‘s resource sector. The Queensland resources sector provides one in every five dollars in the Queensland economy, sustains one in seven Queensland jobs, supports more than 14,400 businesses and almost 1400 community organisations across the state, all from 0.1 percent of Queensland’s land mass.

Pictures available here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmRfZ1oi