MORE than 240 West Australian primary school students will get a taste for careers in the mining, oil and gas industries when they are visited by major resource employers today for an event promoting science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) careers.

Hosted by national resource industry employer group AREEA, the ‘Resource Kids Connect’ event at Halls Head College will open the minds of students aged between eight and 11 to exciting resource industry jobs through hands-on activities and role model talks.

Resource Kids Connect is an industry initiative that delivers on the National STEM School Education Strategy – the COAG Education Council’s plan for renewing focus on STEM subjects in all Australian schools.

“Industry has a massive role to play in articulating the opportunities that STEM-related skills and occupations can offer. There is no better industry for this than the resources industry, particularly in a state like Western Australia,” says AREEA executive director Tara Diamond.

“Today’s event is all about engaging schoolkids on the rewarding careers that can be found within Western Australia’s resource industry, particular through education in the STEM subjects.

“We’ve teamed up with some of the country’s best mining and engineering companies in Fortescue Metals Group, Thiess, Monadelphous and Georgiou Group, to teach students about the different jobs in our industry and engage them with interactive, hands-on activities.

“Although these students won’t be hitting the workforce for a number of years, it is vitally important to pique their interest in STEM at a young age as they develop an awareness of what subjects and careers they may pursue in high school.”

Halls Head College is hosting the event which will also involve students from three additional primary schools: Falcon, Ocean Road, and South Halls Head.

A major drawcard among the various activities is sure to be Thiess’ mine equipment simulator, set to give the students a realistic experience of operating machinery on a mine site.

Women working across geology, engineering and other operational roles within Fortescue Metals Group and Georgiou Group will also provide ‘role model’ presentations to show female students in particular that women can succeed in what can be viewed as male-dominated careers.

“Women comprise just 13.7% of the national resource industry workforce and far too few of those women work in site-based operational roles. This is an important step in turning that around,” Ms Diamond explains.

“While resource employers are actively working to attract and retain more women, it is critical to break down gender barriers and stereotypes before young women make important decisions around their future study and career paths.”

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