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More than 300 Mount Isa students will this week (1 – 2 March) learn how to balance community demand for water with the need to protect the environment.

In a first for the region, students from Mount Isa’s Spinifex State College and Good Shepherd Catholic College will attend a new ‘Water: Ours, Yours, Mine’ workshop conducted by the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA).

The workshop will feature hands-on demonstrations by environmental and engineering experts from Glencore Mount Isa Mines on how to sustainably and responsibly treat and reuse water.

“Having students understand the importance of water management and the skills required to work in this area may inspire our next generation of environmental managers,” said Glencore Queensland Metals, Manager Health Safety Environment Strategy, Regulation and Assurance, Jason Jones.

“As an industry we must adhere to strict guidelines around water use, conservation, treatment and storage, particularly around the Mount Isa region due to water scarcity and the unpredictability of rainfall,” said Mr Jones.

“Living in a community like Mount Isa means all of us, including students, have a part to play in ensuring the use of water is managed as carefully as possible,”

“That is why the collection and analysis of data is paramount and students having insights into these skills could set them up for future careers,” he said.

QRC Policy Director of Skills, Education and Diversity Katrina-Lee Jones said students attending the ‘Water: Ours, Yours, Mine’ will complete a range of water treatment activities using flocculants and sedimentation experiments to determine the process that produces the best result.

They will also utilise data from turbidity sensors to evaluate their results.

“These skills translate into careers as environmental engineers and hydrologists who play a pivotal role in the management of water, particularly for large infrastructure projects such as mine sites,” she said.

“The hands-on water treatment activities delivered by QMEA and Glencore MIM provide our students with excellent learning and leadership opportunities,” said Principal of Good Shepherd Catholic College Kathleen McCarthy.

“We are always keen to engage with QMEA especially to promote STEM amongst our students. Good Shepherd Catholic College has a long-standing partnership with QMEA and look forward to more of our students being involved,” she said.

The QMEA is Australia’s largest industry-led STEM and VET educational partnership with schools. QMEA programs are designed to be engaging, hands-on and interactive to encourage students and teachers to consider a career in the resources sector.  The QMEA engages with 80 schools throughout Queensland and is a partnership between the Queensland Resources Council (QRC) and the Queensland Government under its Gateway to Industry Schools program.

The QRC is Queensland’s peak representative body for coal, metal and gas explorers, producers and suppliers across the resources sector. It contributes one in every five dollars to the Queensland economy, sustains one in six Queensland jobs, supports more than 15,000 businesses and contributes to more than 1200 community organisations across the state – all from 0.1 percent of Queensland’s land mass.

Media Contact: Ellie Blumel – 0448122948 or ellieb@qrc.org.au