- Crisafulli Government delivering expanded Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy to the regions.
- $2 million election commitment will see regional hubs established in Mackay, Rockhampton and Townsville to help build a pipeline of resource workers.
- Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy will add 50 additional schools, up to 10,000 more students to its program over three years.
The Crisafulli Government is delivering the skills to support the future of the resources sector workforce by expanding the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy.
The Academy currently has a network of 100 schools and directly engages with up to 6,000 students each year, increasing awareness and interest in energy and minerals career pathways.
In a fresh start for industry skills training, the Crisafulli Government's first Budget is delivering $2 million to establish regional hubs in Central and North Queensland.
The expansion over a three-year period will see the first regional hub based in Mackay at the Resources Centre of Excellence, with Rockhampton to follow in 2026 and Townsville in 2027.
Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training, Ros Bates, said the $2 million expansion would help provide pathways for even more young people to the resources sector.
"The Queensland Government is proud to work closely with the Queensland Resources Council, through the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy, to ensure it has the right people with the right skills for its workforce," Minister Bates said.
"The resources sector is critical to Queensland's economy and as it continues to grow, we need to make sure we develop the pipeline of talent the industry needs now and into the future.
"This expansion over three years will see the program reach up to 10,000 additional students and will also transition into primary schools."
Minister for Natural Resources and Mines, Dale Last, welcomed the expansion with Mackay being the first regional hub set up.
"Mining is Queensland's biggest industry employing more than 81,000 people, 60 per cent of whom live in regions like Mackay and the Bowen Basin," Minister Last said.
"It's a great industry to work in with so many rewarding career possibilities from the coal face to geology and everything in between."
Queensland Resources Council Chief Executive Officer, Janette Hewson, said the investment in the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy would develop a talent pipeline for a future workforce in the resource sector.
"The resources sector is the backbone of the Queensland economy contributing more than $120 billion into our economy last year," Ms Hewson said.
"We need to attract the next generation of engineers, electricians, environmental scientists and many others to be a part of a sustainable and innovative resources sector that will shape our future."
