Students kit up for trade careers

Local students will be immersed into a career in mining when they take part in Anglo American’s Trade Camp in Moura this week, run by the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA).

The 16 years 11 and 12 Biloela and Moura students, four of them girls, will work on a real project throughout the week alongside apprentices from Anglo American’s Dawson mine.

They’ll design and complete the project at Moura State High School in a simulated workshop environment to show the students a realistic work setting.

The workshop is aimed at students interested in pursuing a trade or operator pathway when they complete their schooling.

The students will also visit Dawson mine and experience what it would be like to work in a mining environment.

“Anglo American is proud to bring this camp to Moura for the second year running. These camps encourage students to consider trade careers and provide opportunities for local employment,” said Clarence Robertson, Anglo American’s General Manager, Dawson Mine.

“This experience provides hands-on, practical experience for the students to see possible career pathways into the mining industry, which is often hard to envisage,” he said.

“I’m delighted that we have such a strong representation from the local schools and a quarter of the students taking part are girls,” said Katrina-Lee Jones, Director Skills Education and Diversity for the Queensland Resources Council.

“Currently, women make up just three percent of our trades people in our sector in Queensland, and these camps will help girls see that trades can be for them,” she said.
“At a time when we are experiencing skills shortages in our industry, it is hoped the young people who participate in the camp will go onto successful careers in the sector.”

“We very much thank Anglo American for their continued support for these camps.”

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