Click here for photo highlights of students engaging with QMEA hub workshops

Click here for photos of the multi-school STEM expo at Holy Spirit College

The first year of the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) hub in the greater Mackay region has been a success for local schools and industry.

The Queensland Government announced the expansion of the QMEA, through the establishment of three regional hubs over three years, in July last year.

Ten new schools have now joined the academy as part of the Mackay-Whitsundays-Isaac regional hub, giving them access to specialised science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) workshops and connection to the resources industry.

STEM Engagement Educator for the hub, Alex van Nunen, said students in the new schools were enthusiastic about becoming part of the QMEA’s network.

“There is a buzz in the room with all the workshops, you can tell the students are keen to know more about how their STEM subjects transfer into processes in the resources industry,” said Mr van Nunen.

“There are plenty of practical activities in the workshops, from building hydraulic arms, to chemical testing in the lab or creating code for model vehicles – which extends the students’ problem-solving skills,” he said.

“Over 700 students have participated in the QMEA Mackay hub workshops and I’ve been impressed with their communication skills and initiative, there may well be some future engineers, metallurgists and data technologists amongst them.”

Nine out of 10 students reported engagement with the QMEA had increased their awareness of different careers in the resources sector.

Anne Miles, Assistant Principal at Holy Spirit College, said she was not surprised by this result.

“Our partnership with QMEA is an exciting and valuable opportunity for Holy Spirit College, strengthening the outstanding STEM education we offer by connecting classroom learning with authentic industry experiences,” said Mrs Miles.

“Through our QMEA hub, we proudly hosted a Term 1 STEM expo that welcomed 48 students from eight local primary schools to take part in a series of hands-on STEM challenges.

The event was a wonderful celebration of curiosity, innovation and collaboration, and a powerful example of how the QMEA Resources Skills Academy supports our commitment to inspiring the next generation of problem-solvers, creators and leaders in STEM.”

The 10 schools who have joined the QMEA Resources Skills Academy as part of the Mackay-Whitsundays-Isaac regional hub are:

• Holy Spirit College;
• Mackay Christian College;
• Proserpine State High School;
• Catherine McAuley College;
• Andergrove State School;
• St John’s Catholic Primary School Walkerston;
• St Brendan’s Catholic Primary School;
• Moranbah East State School;
• Mirani State High School; and
• Beaconsfield State School.

If you are part of a resources business that would like to engage with local students as part of the QMEA school workshops, please Alex van Nunen on email: mackay@qmea.org.au

The QMEA expansion is an election commitment of the Queensland Government and forms part of Improved Completions, a joint initiative between the Australian Government and Queensland Government.

A regional hub will start in Rockhampton later this year, with a regional hub for the QMEA opening in Townsville in 2027.