Girls from Moranbah State High School had the experience of a lifetime, donning hard hats and safety boots to explore the underground workings for Anglo American’s Moranbah North coal mine in Central Queensland.
Last week, 14 girls took part in a six-hour tour, experiencing first-hand what a mine site induction and underground mining operation looks like. The tour was organised by the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) and coincided with National Science Week.
The tour was led by QMEA Ambassador and former Nanango State High School student Sarah Coughla, a graduate engineer at Anglo American’s Moranbah North mine and one of the small percentage of women who work underground in the sector. This was also the first time QMEA took an all-girls group of students underground at a coal mine.
“Without the QMEA I would never have imagined a career in this industry and I really want to share with the girls the fantastic opportunities it offers and the interesting career options,” said Sarah, “I also want to show them how awesome the mining environment can be and dispel the fear of the unknown.”
Sarah also commented on how she’d love to see more women come and work in the resources sector and how it is great to see the different initiatives that have been put in place by resources companies to attract and retain women. The tour also gave the girls an insight into how serious health and safety precautions are taken, along with environmental obligations.
“We very much value the unique opportunities the QMEA brings to our students,” said Felicity Roberts, Moranbah State High School Principal, “this excursion was an eye-opener both for students and teachers and a wonderful way for the girls to discover new career possibilities and the pathways into them.”
Katrina-Lee Jones, Director Skills, Education and Training Queensland Resources Council (QRC) also congratulated Anglo American for making this first-hand experience possible.
“Currently women represent 15 per cent of our resources sector workforce in Queensland and this sort of activity will help the QRC’s members reach our shared goal of at least 20 per cent by 2020,” she said.
“A key recommendation from a report recently released by the Mitchell Institute was for school-industry partnerships to be a priority in all schools and this is a perfect example of the benefits that such a partnership can bring.”