• Click here for Brisbane State High School – Pipeline Pressures workshop photos
• Click here for Bundamba Secondary College – Resourceful Robots workshop photos
• Click here for Wavell State High School – Water: Yours, Ours Mine workshop photos
• Click here for Centenary State High School – Resourceful Robots workshop photos

What do technology, robotics and water all have in common? They have all been explored in workshops delivered by the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) to schools in the South East region in recent weeks.

QMEA STEM Engagement Officers have been connecting with students in the south-east corner as part of the academy’s 100-strong network of Queensland schools.

The QMEA is the education arm of the Queensland Resources Council (QRC) and delivers experiential workshops that encourage students to study science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects which can lead to a rewarding career in the resources and energy sectors.

Brisbane State High School, hosted its first QMEA workshop – Pipeline Pressures, with 200 students from Year 10 physics classes delving into how technology can be used to record and analyse data for the storage and transportation of gas.

Resourceful Robots workshops, which explore the use of new technologies in industry, have been delivered at all points of the compass from Caboolture (Tullawong State High School) in the north, to Wynnum State High to the east, to Centenary State High to the south of the city and Bundamba State Secondary College to the west.

Students from Wavell State High School have also taken the plunge into a water workshop – investigating how water is used as a resource and undertaking an experiment to understand the process of water filtration and treatment.

Katrina-Lee Jones, the QRC’s Director for Education, Skills and Diversity said around half of the schools in the QMEA network were from the South East region and there was a genuine interest from students in STEM careers.

“These students do not live in the regions where mining and gas operations are happening, so they are keen to get a better understanding of the roles and lifestyle of working in mining areas,” said Ms Jones.

“We often have industry members deliver parts of the workshops so they are on-hand to give the students genuine advice on the career pathways available to them,” she said.

“We know that more students from our QMEA network of schools do end up following a STEM or trade career into resources, and I believe interactions like these workshops play a part in helping them make this decision.”

Students interested in knowing more about professional and trade careers in the resources industry are encouraged to visit the shapeyourfuture.com.au website.