Queensland is to get a new exciting STEM education program focusing on Agri-Energy at Tec-NQ in Douglas, Townsville. Employers partners committed to the schools consortia include Ergon Energy and Wilmar Sugar in Townsville, as well as Cane Growers Burdekin. The announcement was made at Tec-NQ by the Federal Minister for Education and Training, Senator the Hon. Simon Birmingham today.
This school will be one of 12 new Pathways in Technology (P-TECH) schools that form part of a $4.6 million commitment to open up new opportunities for young Australians interested in skilled careers. 75 per cent of Australia’s new and emerging industries require solid STEM skills – however a gap exists between the classroom and the world of work. P-TECH is designed to address this.
The first 2 Australian pilots in Geelong and Ballarat commenced in January 2016 and have attracted strong interest from local students wanting to explore meaningful and relevant career pathways. Other Australian schools have been announced this month including Western Sydney, the NSW Central Coast, Newcastle, Adelaide and in Perth.
The Australian Government Department of Education and Training engaged the Skilling Australia Foundation to assist local stakeholders to work together to implement P-TECH learning programs in Geelong and Ballarat.
Nicholas Wyman is a speaker and expert on applying real-world solutions to the challenges companies face in finding skilled employees. He is CEO of the Institute for Workplace Skills and Innovation, which develops mentoring programs for corporations and places people in apprenticeship and training programs globally. He has an MBA and has studied at Harvard Business School and the Kennedy School of Government. 
