A group of Year 10 students from Blackwater and Emerald took part in a girls’ day with a difference this week.

The girls spent a day experiencing life as tradies and learning from resources industry professionals in the ‘All Female Tradies for a Day’ event.

The May 10 event was run by the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) and supported by BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA).
 
Twenty girls from Blackwater and Emerald State High Schools were mentored by BHP and BMA mining tradespeople and apprentices as they tackled trade-based activities that simulated real-world scenarios.
 
The full-day event, the first of its kind held at Blackwater SHS, followed on from successful ‘All Female Tradies for a Day’ events held in Moranbah and Mackay earlier this year.

The events aimed to inform young women of job pathways into the resources sector, help them understand the industry, and give them practical advice for applying for apprenticeships.
 
QMEA manager of skills and education Matthew Heskett stressed the importance of equipping high school students with useful information as considered their career directions.

He added that girls benefited from the all-female workshop environment.

“Trade-based work in the resources industry has historically been male-dominated,” he said.

“We want to give young women a space to be mentored and experience trades firsthand, so that we can break down some of the barriers to diversity in mining. We’ve designed these workshops to be hands-on, interesting and inspiring for students.”