The Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) is the education arm of the Queensland Resources Council dedicated to delivering programs that inspire students to pursue studies in science, technology, engineering, maths (STEM) and trades.
“Last year over 6,200 students participated in QMEA programs or workshops, that is a lot of young minds who will now be considering the professional and trade roles available to them if they join a mining or energy company,” said QRC Chief Executive Officer, Janette Hewson.
“The resources sector is growing and it is estimated it will need another 30,000 workers by the end of the decade, initiatives like the QMEA help to create a pipeline of talent which will play a big part in our future.”
In addition to the hundreds of workshops and camps the QMEA runs across its network of more than 100 regional and South East Queensland schools each year, it also selects twenty of the best and brightest senior students to become QMEA Student Ambassadors.
The twenty students, selected for their potential as future leaders and innovators, engage with industry stakeholders, students and the community and undertake the responsibility of being advocates for the resources and energy sector, championing the benefits and opportunities it offers.
Slater Gifford has lived in Dysart his entire life. He’s the School Captain at Dysart High and is a 2025 Student Ambassador for QMEA.
He said the QMEA Ambassador program has been a great experience so far, further cementing his keenness to join the industry.
“I have grown up around mining so it is something I have always been interested in.
“Thanks to organisations like QMEA we are shown while still at school all the possibilities of a career in the mining industry.
“They bring so many different programs to the school as early as Grade 7 and show us different aspects of the industry. I remember once they gave us a cup with different seeds in it and showed us the process of mining. We used a spoon to separate it like an excavator and then further refined it with other tools to show what happens at a mine site.
“I’ve been to camps as well like the Oresome Trades Camp in Moranbah last year. They had tradespeople from Anglo and BMA come out and show us through their day-to-day and expose us to that side of mining.”
Slater said it was a privilege to be selected as an ambassador this year.
“It’s been a really good experience so far. All twenty of the ambassadors went to Brisbane for a week and it was great to see parts of the mining side of the industry that we don’t normally see in Dysart, like the engineering and science sides.
“I have done a lot of work experience and completed different certificates to give me the best opportunity to get an apprenticeship and have already started putting in applications for diesel fitting apprenticeships in the industry around Dysart.
“I can’t wait to start my career and I am grateful for the opportunities QMEA has provided.”
Janette said the goal of the program is to help students like Slater go on to carve out a rewarding career in the resources sector.
“They will be the new wave of workforce helping us to innovate and meet the demands for greater productivity, increased safety and further sustainability.”
This year the QMEA is celebrating 20 years of inspiring Queensland students to follow an apprenticeship or STEM study pathway into a rewarding career in the resources sector.
| The QMEA is a partnership between the Queensland resources sector represented by the Queensland Resources Council (QRC) and the Queensland Government. To find out more go to: www.qmea.org.au |
