This year, women across BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) took part in the Girls in Resources Life Skills (GIRLS) mentoring program.
The GIRLS program is an annual initiative delivered by the Queensland Resources Council’s (QRC) Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) and Women in Mining and Resources Queensland (WIMARQ).
The six-month program sets up student mentees for rewarding careers in the resources sector by matching them with industry mentors.
BMA has been involved with the GIRLS program since its beginning. As a result of its close engagement, several of the program’s student mentees joined BMA or other BHP businesses after their mentoring experience.
“It is very rewarding to see these passionate and aspiring young women achieve their goals and to help make them informed decisions about their own tertiary education or training pathways,” BMA head of performance and business development Lauren Molloy-Roberts said.
“With the number of applications from young women wanting to take part increasing each year since it started in 2019, the GIRLS Mentoring Program has become a well-established initiative that will help drive the future of the resources sector.”
QRC director of skills, education and diversity Katrina-Lee Jones said the GIRLS program has strengthened since it began five years ago.
“We are very proud of the role the program has played in encouraging and supporting female students who are interested in pursuing careers in the Queensland resources sector,” Jones said.
“Over the past six months, they’ve have been guided and inspired during regular meetings with their individually matched, female industry mentors who have imparted invaluable professional and personal advice… I am confident they’ll become the Queensland resources sector’s next leaders and innovators.”
Yesterday, BHP unveiled its new FutureFit Academy as part of its commitment to building the skills workers needed for modern mining.