Students learn about high flying careers
Gladstone students will learn about high flying careers as they explore the physics behind flight in a competition involving five local schools today.
Students from Toolooa State High School, St Frances Catholic College,
Star of the Sea, and St John’s Catholic College will gather at Chanel College for the Grand Final of the Physics in Flight competition run by the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA), the education arm of the Queensland Resources Council (QRC).
The Physics in Flight competition is supported in Gladstone by ConocoPhillips Australia, as the downstream operator of Australia Pacific LNG.
“The visiting schools are keen to wrest the perpetual trophy from Chanel College in this paper plane competition,” said QRC’s Director Skills Education and Diversity Katrina-Lee Jones.
“During term two, students tested their planes while building on their knowledge to develop a paper plane with the longest flight,” she said.
“Physics in Flight uses the fun of design and teamwork to better understand physics in motion, and also learn about the many careers available in the resources sector that involve physics.”
STEM subject such as physics are informative and fun subjects for students,” said Rob Gibb, ConocoPhillips Australia’s Manager Communities and Sustainable Development.
“Physics forms an integral part of the day-to-day operations at the Australia Pacific LNG facility, as does teamwork and analytical thinking which are all skills that students get to delve into as part of this activity,” 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.
The QRC is Queensland’s peak representative body for coal, metal and gas explorers, producers and suppliers across the resources sector. It contributes one in every five dollars to the Queensland economy, sustains one in six Queensland jobs, supports more than 15,000 businesses and contributes to more than 1,200 community organisations across the state – all from 0.1 percent of Queensland’s land mass.