The next batch of mining engineers form Queensland have been given a dose of industry life, after a program to expose students to real world experience on mine sites.

A group of high school hopeful entrants to the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy took part in a week-long program. They were tasked with either trade or professional skills development, ending in a presentation to twenty Xstrata engineers and mining industry professionals over the weekend.  

Ipswich student Riana Newton said she enjoyed the problem-solving tasks and engineering activities, but said the whole week was much harder than expected.

“I thought maybe we’d work with engineers to come up with a solution but it was just us doing it on our own, so I was a bit shocked but we worked through what the issue and solutions were in our teams,” Ms Newton said.

Gladstone student Boyd Collette said “it was really good to meet other students who want to study engineering and engineers themselves... having that interaction really helped and now we’ve been out here and seen it all we know what it’s all about.”

Organisers were reportedly impressed with the student’s knowledge and enthusiasm, they have now returned to their home towns following the wrap up of the week’s intensive engineering.