Click here for photos of the government announcement in Mackay

The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) welcomed today’s announcement by the Queensland Government to invest $2 million to expand their education arm, the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA).

The announcement was made by Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training, Ros Bates, and the Minister for Natural Resources and Mines, Dale Last, in Mackay today.

The expansion will begin with a regional hub in Mackay, followed by regional hubs in Rockhampton (2026) and Townsville (2027) adding a further 50 schools to the QMEA’s Queensland network.

The QMEA has been delivering science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and trade workshops and mentoring programs to students interested in the resources sector for 20 years.

QRC Chief Executive Officer, Janette Hewson, said the additional funding for the QMEA would help to build a talent pipeline for a future workforce in the resource sector.

“The resources sector is the backbone of Queensland employing thousands of Queenslanders and contributing more than $120 billion into our economy in the last financial year,” Ms Hewson said.

“In the Mackay region alone there are nearly 20,000 people employed by the resources sector and it indirectly supports a further 75,000 jobs, so it makes sense to have a regional hub in this resources heartland,” she said.

“One of our biggest challenges is attracting and retaining a skilled workforce which is critical for the industry as a whole and the regional communities in which they operate,” Ms Hewson said.

“The resources sector is a dynamic powerhouse which is growing to meet production demands and continue our sustainability and decarbonisation improvements,” she said.

“We need to attract the next generation of tradespeople, technicians and professionals to be a part of our industry so we will continue to thrive.”

The QMEA is a highly successful industry-led education partnership, with mining and energy companies sponsoring and participating in the school workshops and camps.

“We know that students from QMEA schools are more likely to follow a study pathway into engineering and related technologies,” Ms Hewson said.

“They are also more likely to enter apprenticeships or traineeships in the mining industry compared to students in other schools.

“This funding will continue the success of the QMEA across regional Queensland and create the next generation of employees for the resources sector.”

Read the Queensland Government media statement here