GOOD Shepherd Catholic College student Lewis Ryder will be an ambassador for the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) in 2017.
This means that Lewis will use his position during Year 12 to encourage other students to participate in QMEA camps and consider the mining sector’s opportunities. He is among 20 students across Queensland to be considered an ambassador with other areas represented including Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton and Emerald.
Lewis is the first ambassador to represent Good Shepherd which has only this year become affiliated with QMEA.
“I think they (QMEA) think if I went to talk to other students it would be more encouraging,” he said.
“The main key factor is the opportunity these camps provide...it provides experience and insight into future career prospects.”
QMEA director Katrina-Lee Jones said the ambassadors will take further training and will be mentored by representatives in the industry to “kick-start their career pathways”.
Lewis intends on taking an apprenticeship as a diesel fitter but may eventually consider studying for an engineering degree.
His parents Barry and Leanne Ryder work at Mount Isa Mines and have encouraged him in entering the mining industry.
“They have been here the majority of their life and being a mining town they started off there (Mount Isa Mines) and worked their way up,” Lewis said.
He qualified as an ambassador by completing a QMEA course ‘Make It Now in Trades’ earlier this year.
Lewis learned that he became an ambassador a fortnight ago and last week visited Brisbane for a three day camp, during which he visited the CSIRO Centre for Advanced Technologies, the Queensland Government’s research and training centre SIMTARS, and BHP Billiton’s Integrated Remote Operations Centre.
At CSIRO he was shown research through mining and minerals processing alongside automation.
