The success of Queensland’s resources sector should never be taken for granted. There are plenty of challenges to face each year, and one of them is ensuring we have a strong and sustainable pipeline of skilled workers now and into the future.

This month we’re excited to launch our 2023 program of events for the QRC’s educational arm, the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA).

Our launch event was in Rockhampton, Central Queensland, with students from Rockhampton State High School, The Cathedral College, Rockhampton Girls’ Grammar School, and Toolooa State High School.

The QMEA program introduces students to the diverse career opportunities available to them in the resources sector through science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects.

Our Rockhampton event featured our first ever Girls Exploring Trades & Technologies (GETT) in Resources workshop, which involved twenty female Year 10 students, and twenty women from the local school community, including teachers and mothers.

The workshop was an outstanding success, even featuring on 7 News, and the girls were given a first-hand look at the jobs available through trades and technical professions across the resources sector.

The QMEA’s outreach continues to grow and in 2023 will partner with over 90 schools to deliver its program to a new group of students, showing them the pathway to well-paid and rewarding job opportunities in resources.

The results of the QMEA program to date are impressive.

Data compiled for the Queensland Government’s 2022 Next Step Destination Survey data showed:

• Of QMEA students following a post-school study pathway, 22% of students did so in the engineering and related technologies field, compared to 16% of students from non-QMEA schools.
• Of QMEA Indigenous students entering an apprenticeship, traineeship and other employment, 8.5% of students did so in the mining industry, compared to 3.1% of students from non-QMEA schools.
• Of QMEA students entering an apprenticeship, traineeship and other employment, 9.6% of students did so in the mining industry, compared to 2.4% of students from non-QMEA schools.
• Of QMEA female students entering an apprenticeship, traineeship and other employment, 9.4% of students did so in the mining industry, compared to 1.8% of students from non-QMEA schools.

The QMEA program is part of our strategy to achieve a goal of 30 per cent female participation in the resources sector by 2026 by introducing more women to the diverse careers available to them.

In March the QRC will also recognise some of the outstanding women in the resources sector through our 2023 QRC/WIMARQ Women in Resources Awards.

Finalists come from across Queensland in positions ranging from those in senior leadership and management, to those in the early stages of their careers who are already making their mark.

You can meet the fantastic finalists in this year’s awards and hear their stories by following the QRC on LinkedIn and Facebook. Our social media pages are also a great way to keep up to date on important issues and events happening in the resources sector.

Ian Macfarlane

Queensland Resources Council Chief Executive