Oresome web of discovery for students and teachers
Wednesday, 15 September 2021
Photos | Oresome Resources being put to the test
The battle to entice young people to consider a career in Australia’s burgeoning resources sector has gone to a whole new level, following today’s release of a new, improved website featuring free, interactive educational materials aimed at high school students.
The Oresome Resources website, an initiative founded and led by the Queensland Resources Council (QRC), has been revamped to provide teachers across the nation with on-trend learning materials to inform and attract the imagination of the explorers, engineers and automated vehicle operators of tomorrow.
Minerals Council of Australia Chief Executive Officer Tania Constable said the widespread shift to online learning due to Covid-19 had accelerated the need to update the website’s capabilities to keep up with student interests and expectations.
“Teachers are going to find the added teaching material very useful,” Ms Constable said.
“The virtual reality and interactive games demonstrate how minerals and other raw materials can be used to build products like electric cars, create sustainable cities and design smart homes.
“At the click of a mouse, students can go on a virtual journey to better understand the innovation and jobs on offer in the minerals and energy sector, which we hope sparks an interest in trade and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) career pathways. We are pleased to be supporting this website.”
QRC Skills, Education and Diversity Director Katrina-Lee Jones said she expected the interactive games and activities on the Oresome Resources website to appeal to high school science, geography and technology teachers in particular.
“The learning materials on this website are all compatible with the national curriculum and will help teachers connect classroom learning to real-world scenarios in a way we know from the extensive user testing we’ve done will appeal to tech-savvy young people,” Ms Jones said.
“With high-paid, high-tech jobs in Australia’s minerals and energy sector booming and a major skills shortage looming, we want to capture students’ imagination and motivate them to find out more about our incredibly exciting and important industry.”
Wavell State High School Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Science teacher Michael Drago said the website resources were an extremely valuable educational asset, particularly as Australia’s energy mix continues to develop.
“The activities on the Oresome Resources website are highly relevant to the Australian Curriculum for Junior Science and senior students studying Earth and Environmental Science,” Mr Drago said.
The Oresome Resources website is supported by the MCA, QRC, Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia, NSW Minerals Council, South Australian Chamber of Mines and Energy and the Tasmanian Minerals, Manufacturing & Energy Council.
In Queensland, the QRC is also currently running a digital careers campaign to attract more students to mining engineering, with demand for this skill set far outstripping demand.
The number of direct jobs in the state’s resources sector hit a record high of almost 85,000 earlier this year, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) employment figures.
