This Wednesday 31 October 55 young women from Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy schools across Brisbane, Alexandra Hills, Bundamba and Wavell Heights as well guests from Ipswich Girls Grammar and Lourdes Hill, attended a breakfast sponsored by leading global mining company, Anglo American.
Themed 4Girls2, the breakfast was about introducing young women to the endless career possibilities available to them in the mining industry and provided tips on what they needed to do to get there, encouraging thinking beyond traditional roles and considering careers in resources.
The breakfast included a mini expo on potential careers, with Anglo American people from geology, engineering, environment, safety and health and corporate services who had progressed through the business since starting out as graduates spoke about their career journeys in the hope they would inspire other women to do the same.
Diversity and Inclusion Specialist for Anglo American’s Metallurgical Coal business, Rebecca Capper, said this was part of Anglo American’s ongoing relationship with the QMEA and aimed to reach female students in Brisbane who do not have as much access to information regarding careers in mining compared to students in the areas Anglo American operates in central Queensland.
“This is about building long term relationships – these students still have many years ahead of them before they will be making decisions about where to study and then where to work, so we aim to get to know them now, get them excited about a future in resources and hopefully see them develop into the mining professionals of the future,” Rebecca said.
Pipeline Development Programs Coordinator Kate Whiting said despite the current downturn, in future years there would be a very real demand in the industry for skilled and diverse groups of people.
“We need to continue to work at providing opportunities for female students in metropolitan areas to consider mining and mining related professions as valid career path,” Kate said.
“This event is deliberately scheduled at the time that these students are making subject selections for years 11 and 12.”
Anglo American provides the QMEA with an annual $55,000 payment to design mining programs for schools in our areas of operation and also awards a number of scholarships each year to high achieving university students studying in mining related fields.
Contact: Metallurgical Coal Corporate Affairs:
Jacqui Strambi: 0439 774 526