Indigenous and female students make up nearly half the students taking part in the trade and engineering camps in Mount Isa next week, run by the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA).
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Under the watchful eye of Glencore employees the 35 Years 11 and 12 students have the choice of refurbishing push bikes provided by the Mount Isa police department or solving real-life engineering problems on-site at Glencore’s Mount Isa Mines.
Queensland Resources Council Director of Skills, Education and Diversity Katrina-Lee Jones said the number of students from various backgrounds taking part in QMEA programs continues to grow.
“When it comes to diversity many in society think the resources sector is a little old-fashioned but that’s a big misconception. The QRC has a target of at least 20 per cent women in non-traditional roles by 2020,” Ms Jones said.
“Last year the QMEA achieved a three-fold increase in the number of indigenous students entering into a pathway towards a career in the resources sector through its 72 events across the state.”
Ms Jones said these senior were only a year or two away from starting an apprenticeship or enrolling in an engineering degree.
“So the long-term future of our sector to reach diversity goals and ensure an innovative workforce is on track,” she said.
Glencore’s Executive General Manager of Copper, Deon Van der Mescht said the company had a strong focus on ensuring that young people in its resources communities had the opportunity to see and understand the career options available to them in the sector.
“By working side-by- side with Glencore employees, the students gain experience of careers they might not have considered in a realistic industry environment. They’ll learn useful skills, and we hope, be inspired to seek careers as trades-people or engineers,” Mr Van der Mescht said.
“By providing the opportunity to work both on the mine site and in a realistic workshop environment mentored by Glencore experts, the students gain a real insight into some pretty exciting and rewarding careers.”
The Make in Now in Trades (MINT) camp involves 19 year 12 students from Spinifex, Good Shepherd and Cloncurry schools, while the remaining students would take part in the Make It Now Engineering (MINE) Challenge.
The camps would be held June 25-30.
The QMEA is the education arm of the QRC and is a partnership with the Queensland Government through its Industry Gateway Schools Program.
Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
