Twenty Year 12 female students with an eye on a career in Queensland’s high-tech mining and energy sector gathered in Brisbane today for the launch of a unique mentoring program.

The Girls In Resources Leadership Skills (GIRLS) Mentoring Program connects each student with an experienced industry professional for six months of support and guidance on future career options as they complete their final year of school.

This year’s participants are from the following SEQ and regional schools;

• Kirwan State High School,
• Good Shepherd Catholic College,
• Pioneer State High School,
• Moranbah State High School,
• Gladstone State High School,
• Biloela State High School,
• Blackwater State High School,
• Moura State High School,
• Bundaberg State High School,
• St Rita’s College Clayfield,
• Mount Gravatt State High School,
• Somerville House,
• Wavell State High School,
• Centenary State High School,
• St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School
• St Hilda’s School.

The program, now in its sixth year, is an initiative of the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA), which is the education arm of the Queensland Resources Council, and Women in Mining and Resources Queensland (WIMARQ).

Last year, almost 90 per cent of the students involved in the program either got a job in the resources sector when they finished Year 12 or commenced a study or training pathway to a resources career.

QRC Chief Executive Officer Janette Hewson said the GIRLS Mentoring Program was an opportunity for students to learn about the different careers available in the resources sector from people with years of experience in the industry.

“Our aim is to encourage young people to bring their skills and passion to make a difference in the world to a job in the resources sector,” she said.

“Our industry is undergoing a period of incredible transformation as companies provide the resources the world needs for a decarbonised future, from the steelmaking coal to build electric vehicles and wind farms to the critical minerals that support new battery technology.

“We need the best and brightest young minds in our workforce to help achieve this.”

QRC Skills, Education and Diversity Policy Director Katrina-Lee Jones said the program was again oversubscribed this year, reflecting young women’s growing interest in a rewarding and well-paid career in the minerals and energy industry.

She said this year’s group was selected from QMEA partner schools across Queensland based on their potential leadership skills and passion to be involved in the future of the resources sector.

This year’s GIRLS mentoring program was made possible with the generous support of Platinum Sponsor BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) and other sponsors including ConocoPhillips and Jellinbah (Gold sponsors); Glencore Technology, Rio Tinto, Thiess and Whitehaven Coal (Silver sponsors); and Coronado Global, Fitzroy Coal Management, Idemitsu Australia, Rio Tinto and South 32 (Bronze sponsors).