Published Today at 09:15 AM

JOINT STATEMENT

Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training
The Honourable Ros Bates

Minister for Natural Resources and Mines, Minister for Manufacturing and Minister for Regional and Rural Development
The Honourable Dale Last

10,000 regional students delivered pathway to resources careers

  • The Crisafulli Government is delivering on another election commitment with a new Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy regional hub in Rockhampton.
  • QMEA expansion will give 10,000 more regional Queensland students exposure to career opportunities in some of the state’s biggest industries.
  • Rockhampton is the second of three QMEA hubs delivered to boost resources sector workforce.
  • The Crisafulli Government is turning the tide on Labor’s dire skills shortages and rebuilding Queensland’s workforce pipeline after a decade of decline.

The Crisafulli Government is delivering opportunities for thousands of students in regional Queensland to find jobs in the resources sector, with a new Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy hub opening in Rockhampton.  

The new hub will connect Central Queensland students with careers in resources, energy, engineering, trades and STEM, helping young people transform what they learn in school into a job close to home. 

It’s just one of the ways the Crisafulli Government is delivering better services through a stronger economy and turning the tide on Labor’s dire skills shortages. 

Labor’s decade of decline failed to build the workforce pipeline Queensland needs and left businesses across the State struggling to find workers.

The Crisafulli Government is connecting students with employers and industries earlier, giving young Queenslanders more career choices and regional businesses a stronger pipeline of skilled workers. 

From mining to engineering, technology and trade jobs across Central Queensland, the new hub will bring local career opportunities directly into schools and give students a better understanding of the skills they need to get there. 

The Rockhampton hub is part of a major QMEA expansion that will reach 10,000 more students across 50 additional schools, including primary schools for the first time. 

It’s further proof of the Crisafulli Government’s commitment to regional Queenslanders, with a similar hub in Mackay already open and a further hub to be established in Townsville next year. 

Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training Ros Bates said the expansion was about making sure young Queenslanders could see the opportunities available to them in their own communities. 

“Some of the best career opportunities in Queensland are right here in our regions, and we want young people seeing those possibilities before they leave school,” Minister Bates said. 

“This means 10,000 more students getting a look inside real industries, meeting employers and understanding how what they learn at school can lead to a good job. 

“Labor’s decade of decline created dire skills shortages in every part of the state because they failed to plan for the workforce Queensland needed. 

“We are turning the tide by building stronger pathways from the classroom into a career and making sure regional employers have the skilled workers they need to grow.” 

Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Dale Last said a strong local skills pipeline was critical to the future of Queensland’s resources sector. 

“More than 81,000 Queenslanders work directly in mining and resources. These jobs underpin regional communities right across our state,” Minister Last said. 

“Nowhere is this more evident than in Central Queensland where the industry supports thousands of local families and businesses. 

“Allowing Queensland’s resources sector to grow means creating pathways into rewarding careers and helping shape the next generation of resource workers from communities like Rockhampton. 

“The Crisafulli Government is making sure young Queenslanders can see the opportunities on offer and have the skills to seize them.” 

Member for Rockhampton Donna Kirkland said the new hub would give local students a direct line of sight to careers available across Central Queensland. 

“The next generation of Central Queenslanders shouldn’t have to look south to see a future for themselves. Some of the best career opportunities in Queensland are right here,” Mrs Kirkland said. 

“Whether it’s at the mines west of Rocky, in engineering and trades here in town, or across the wider resources supply chain, there are rewarding careers that can help our region’s young people live, work and build their futures right here in Central Queensland. 

“This is exactly why I fought to have Rockhampton’s voice heard in government, and I’m proud the Crisafulli Government is delivering another investment directly into the future of our region.” 

Member for Keppel Nigel Hutton said giving young people early exposure to different careers could change the direction of their lives. 

“You can’t aspire to a career you don’t know exists, and that’s why getting these opportunities in front of young people early matters,” Mr Hutton said. 

“For a student here in Central Queensland, a QMEA program could be the moment they realise that the science they enjoy at school could lead to a career in the resources sector. 

“We want our young people to be ambitious about their future and to know they can build a career right at home.” 

QMEA Student Ambassador Jake Lucas, a Year 12 student at The Cathedral College, said regional students got lots of benefits from being involved in the QMEA.  

“I’ve gained a deeper understanding of the industry through QMEA school workshops and leadership programs,” Jake said.  

“It is a real bonus for students like me, in the Rockhampton region who are keen on having a career in the resources industry as the QMEA gives us the confidence and local connections to follow our career aspirations after school.”  

Queensland Resources Council Chief Executive Officer Janette Hewson said the momentum from Mackay showed the real impact of the hub model. 

“Since the Mackay hub launched last year, ten new schools have joined the QMEA network, giving many more primary and secondary students access to workshops, camps and leadership programs linking their classroom studies directly to careers in the resources industry,” Ms Hewson said. 

"The resources sector is critically important to the Queensland economy, and it needs the next generation of engineers, scientists and data technologists to keep it thriving. 

"We know that students who engage with QMEA programs are more likely to pursue science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) studies after school.” 

The expansion is supported by the Crisafulli Government’s $2 million election commitment to grow QMEA across regional Queensland.  

It forms part of Improved Completions, a joint initiative between the Albanese Government and Crisafulli Government.  

For more information on the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy, please visit https://qmea.org.au/  

For more information on Queensland Government’s Gateway to Industry Schools Program please visit https://desbt.qld.gov.au/training/employers/gateway-schools  

ENDS 

MEDIA CONTACTS: 

Minister Bates: Christian Penny, 0439 882 294 

Minister Last: Tom Daunt, 0487 151 453