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Today was “totally ore-some” for a group of local high school students who got to challenge their scientific minds and explore future careers in the resources sector at a special STEM workshop today.

The Year 9 students from Redeemer Lutheran College stepped out of the classroom and into a STEM Unearthed workshop where they explored the exciting world of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) through a series of hands-on activities.

The workshop was delivered by the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA), the education arm of the Queensland Resources Council (QRC), with the generous support of Batchfire Resources.

Redeemer Lutheran College acting principal, Megan Worthington, said the workshop extended the students critical thinking and problem-solving skills and gave them a unique opportunity to talk to the Batchfire team about their careers.

“Today is about exciting the students about pursuing STEM subjects in senior school and sparking an interest in ultimately following a STEM career path,” said Mrs Worthington.

Batchfire Resources CEO, Allan Fidock, said the team is proud to be sponsoring the QMEA workshop and helping to educate the next generation of STEM professionals.

“The STEM Unearthed workshops are a vital educational tool, offering an early glimpse into the resources industry for local students – some of whom will go on to become leaders in this field,” Mr Fidock said.

“We are immensely proud to support the next generation through events like this one and the upcoming Heavy Hydraulics workshop, offering students a practical look at the latest technology, innovation and career opportunities at Callide Mine.”

Katrina-Lee Jones, QRC Director of Skills, Education and Diversity, said the workshop had been designed to give a resources industry perspective to STEM concepts being studied as part of the Australian curriculum.

“The students worked in teams to run a simulated mine site identifying and resolving common issues including financial decisions, maintenance of equipment and sustainability practices,” said Ms Jones.

“They also got to role-play being a metallurgist as they did an experiment to extract metal from rock – a process essential to resources industry,” she said.

“Today was all about giving the students an experience which could help them to make an informed decision about their subject selection for Years 11 and inspiring them about their future.”