Pioneer State High School students have learned how their school subjects relate to exciting real-world careers.

The high-achieving year-10 students, who are interested in pursuing a professional career in engineering or science, extracted metals from rocks and programmed Lego robots to efficiently manage ‘coal’ stockpiles.

They were taking part in a STEM 4 Schoolkids event as part of the schools’ Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy activities.

The hands-on activities centred on science and engineering-related professions in the resources sector.

Industry professionals spoke to the students about their own careers and mentored the students during the challenges set for them.

Pioneer’s Science Head of Department David Seng said the students were very engaged and found the event stimulating, and fun, providing them with information about future career pathways, some of which they weren’t aware of before the day.

Jasmine Weeden Environmental Advisor with BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) said there were good links between the activities and industry and she thoroughly enjoyed making science come alive for the students.

QMEA STEM Enrichment Officer Matthew Heskett said 70 percent of the students who responded to a post-event survey said the event increased their confidence in their intended study/career path.

‘All of them said the event had shown them how knowledge and skills from school subjects applied to real-world careers,’ he said.

QRC is the peak representative body for Queensland ‘s resources sector. The Queensland resources sector provides one in every $6 dollars in the Queensland economy, sustains one in eight Queensland jobs, and supports more than 16,400 businesses across the state, all from 0.1 percent of Queensland’s land mass.

The QMEA is a partnership between the QRC and the Queensland Government under its Gateway to Industry Schools program. It has 46 schools throughout Queensland.

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