A unique six-month female mentoring program that concluded in Brisbane last week, setting a new group of young Queensland women on the path to a rewarding career in the state’s resources sector.
Twenty Year 12 students from 17 schools across Queensland celebrated the finale of this year’s Girls in Resources Life Skills (GIRLS) Mentoring Program, an annual initiative delivered by the Queensland Resources Council’s Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) and Women in Mining and Resources Queensland (WIMARQ).
Celebrating its fifth year, the program aims to connect experienced women in resources with senior female students who want to know more about career opportunities in the sector.
QRC Director of Skills, Education and Diversity, Ms Katrina-Lee Jones said the GIRLS Mentoring Program has made impressive strides each year since it began five years ago.
“This group of female students from QMEA-associated schools have kick-started their way to an exciting career in resources as well as boosted their life skills like networking, communication, and confidence,” she said.
“Over the past six months, they’ve been guided and inspired during regular meetings with their individually-matched, female industry mentors who have imparted invaluable professional and personal advice.
“This mentoring program plays an essential role in the industry’s efforts to attract more young females into the resources and energy, which is steadily increasing its female participation rate with a target of 30 per cent by 2026.
“By working with successful role models from various specialties across the industry, these students have gained first-hand insight into the different exciting and rewarding career opportunities on offer and I am confident they’ll become the Queensland resources sector’s next leaders and innovators.”
BMA Head of Performance & Improvement Lauren Molloy Roberts said BMA is proud to have been involved with the GIRL’s Mentoring Program since its inception.
“It is rewarding to see these passionate and aspiring young women achieve their goals and to help them make informed decisions about their own tertiary education or training pathways,” she said.
“With the number of applications from young women wanting to take part increasing each year, the GIRLS Mentoring Program has become a well-established initiative that will help drive the future of the resources sector.”
Twenty Year 12 students from 17 schools across Queensland participated in the GIRLS Mentoring Program. Photo supplied: QRC
