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Mount Isa students have received a taste of what it’s like to work in the resources sector this week during the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy’s (QMEA) Oresome Minds and Oresome Trades Camps in Mount Isa.  

Staff from event hosts Glencore Mount Isa Mines have been on hand to mentor students through the camp’s hands-on activities where the students heard about the wide range of professional and trade careers available to them in the sector.   

The QMEA, the education arm of the Queensland Resources Council (QRC), is also engaging students from southeast Queensland schools, who joined in virtually during the professional stream workshop. They will visit Mount Isa later in the year. 

  These trade and professional careers are in high demand and have been designated as in short supply in the latest Australian Government Skills Priority List,” said QRC’s Manager of Skills and Education Matthew Heskett.  

“We have run these camps for a number of years and they really help to open students’ eyes to the possibilities in our sector, and how to make them a reality.”  

Glencore Queensland Metals Human Resources Group Manager, Clint Milner said, “MIM is a huge fan of these camps where we get to see the amazing talent coming through our schools.” 

“The first-hand experiences they enjoy during the camp really give students a very good idea of what it’s like to work in our sector and enables them to think about options that might not have been obvious before,” he said.   

 As Australia’s largest and most successful industry-led education and skills 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 VET and STEM-related careers, with a focus on female and Indigenous participation. The QMEA currently engages with 80 schools and is a partnership between the QRC and the Queensland Government under its Gateway to Industry Schools program.