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Students from Yeronga State High School recently traded pens and notebooks for ‘a day on the tools’ at a workshop delivered by the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA).  

Thanks to support from Queensland Resources Council (QRC) member companies through an education levy, about 20 Grade 10 students spent the day rotating through different trade-based activities, getting a feel for some of the exciting career opportunities on offer in the resources sector. 

The QMEA is the education branch of the QRC, and the Tradies for a Day workshop is a popular hands-on program that showcases the skills needed for a safe and rewarding career in a trade role. 

QRC Director of Skills, Education and Diversity, Ms Katrina-Lee Jones said experienced tradespeople from Hastings Deering, and TAFE Queensland’s Acacia Ridge campus guided students through workshop activities. 

“This educational experience gave students the opportunity to bolster their manual skills while exploring technical disciplines like electrical, pneumatics, and mechanical,” Ms Jones said. 

“The clear crowd favourite was the virtual welder, which allowed students to try out welding in the safety and comfort of a classroom environment through impressive virtual reality technology.” 

Yeronga State High School Principal, Mr Timothy Barraud said the workshop was a creative forum for students to learn some handy new skills while learning about possible career opportunities after school. 

“It’s so important to prepare our students for life beyond the classroom, and this experience cleverly integrated fun learning activities with curriculum outcomes like Mathematics, Science, and Design and Technologies,” Mr Barraud said. 

“The students really benefited from having experienced tradespeople on-hand to guide them through the session and share their personal career pathway experiences.” 

As Australia’s largest and most successful industry-led education and schools 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 vocational and professional careers, with a focus on female and Indigenous participation. The QMEA currently engages with 90 schools and is a partnership between the QRC and the Queensland Government under its Gateway to Industry Schools program.