St John Fisher College Year 12 student, Taylah Martin, attended the Year 10-12 Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) Youth Program, held at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre as part of the international conference in late May 2019.
Taylah was among 40 STEM students from across Brisbane to be invited to participate in the program that aims to inspire and educate young people about the variety of career paths available in the oil and gas industry.
APPEA 2019 delivered a high school-focused education program to connect with the next generation of talent that is essential to the success of the industry. The Youth Program showcased the best of the oil and gas industry, including the digital revolution that is currently underway.
Selected high school groups participated in tailored one day workshops and interactive activities with industry leaders, learned about the many career pathways available to them, and experienced a guided walk through the busy APPEA Exhibition Hall.
The APPEA Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition is the largest annual upstream oil and gas event in the southern hemisphere, attracting delegates from across the country and around the world.
Taylah came away from the event feeling inspired. “The day was absolutely amazing, thanks to APPEA and Stempunks, I had been given the opportunity to immerse myself in sections of the industry such as technological advancements in the use of drones, as well as virtual and augmented realities, have the undivided attention from industry experts and most importantly learn,” she said.
St John Fisher College Science Teacher, Mr David Hooper added, “Taylah has an inquisitive nature which is one of the key qualities of a good scientist”.
“She has shown keen interest in Science since Year 8 and now studies both Physics and Chemistry at St John Fisher College.”
Sarah Browne is Director of the Brighter program, APPEA’s new community engagement initiative, which facilitated the program this year. “We were delighted to welcome Taylah as part of the Youth Program in 2019, along with around 80 other high school students over the course of two days,” she said.
“We believe Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) is fundamental to the skill set of Australia’s future workforce, and we know we need to engage with that next generation of talent. The natural gas industry is dependent on advanced technology and is reliant on STEM educated workers – from engineers to environmental scientists – to manage and operate it.
“We hope that these bright young students enjoyed being part of our biggest industry event as much as we enjoyed hearing their perspectives and fresh ideas.”
The Brighter program collaborated with education providers STEM Punks to deliver interactive workshops demonstrating how new technology such as virtual reality and drones are deployed in the field today.
