Free hydrogen skills on offer to empower Queensland High School Students
Queensland is taking significant strides towards shaping its hydrogen future by providing high school students with the opportunity to enrol in free online courses to help them prepare for careers in the emerging industry.
The program known as Fuelling a Hydrogen Future: STEM Skills for Secondary Learning, was funded by the Queensland Government and developed by CQUniversity Australia with support from industry partners Stanwell Corporation and ACCIONA Energía.
The micro-credential courses are open for enrolment now and have been developed specifically for Years 7 – 10 and Years 11 – 12.
The aim of the program is to build important industry-school connections and showcase the Queensland hydrogen and renewable energy sectors to future workforces.
The delivery of the online education program is also a key action under the Queensland Government’s Hydrogen Industry Workforce Development Roadmap 2022-2032, released in July 2022.
Queensland’s Training and Skills Minister Lance McCallum welcomed the free online learning resources, to further engage young Queenslanders in the priority hydrogen industry.
“Including hydrogen in our Gateway to Industry Schools Program is an important part of the Miles Government’s commitment to training Queenslanders for the clean energy jobs of the future.
“Our Hydrogen Gateway partnership led by Energy Skills Queensland continues to grow with 38 Queensland schools joining the program.
“We want to make it easier for young Queenslanders to secure the world-class skills they’ll need for a leg up to a rewarding career, powered by the state’s clean energy future.”
CQUniversity’s Dr Cal Devney who coordinated the development of the micro-credentials explained that the feedback from schools and students participating in the micro-credentials has been very positive, with students identifying the program taught them skills relevant to participating in the emerging hydrogen industry.
“These micro-credentials offer Queensland secondary students a great foundational base to further develop their skills and knowledge and realise pathways into the hydrogen sector.
“Importantly they have also been specifically designed to align with the existing curriculum, providing teachers with a great opportunity to easily integrate them within the classroom. In fact, the micro-credentials for Years 11 and 12 are aligned to the QCAA Senior Syllabuses and 21st Century Skills,” said Dr Devney.
Chief Executive Officer of Stanwell, Michael O’Rourke said: “Stanwell is committed to working with industry partners across a variety of sectors to help drive the development of Queensland’s hydrogen industry and the use of other new technologies.
“We know the workforce of tomorrow is in the classroom today. Through collaboration with partners like CQUniversity, we are able to leverage our expertise and help create learning pathways for the energy sector leaders of the future,” Mr O’Rourke said.
General Manager of Brand and Marketing, ACCIONA Energía, Caroline Bommes explained that without renewables there is no green hydrogen and without people there’s no renewables.
“Programs like these are a step towards getting the workforce that will be needed for the energy transition and capitalising on our green hydrogen opportunity.
“The opportunities for students to undertake these courses can set them on the path for a long-term and secure career in the emerging industry," Ms Bommes said.
“Our collaboration with CQUniversity on these new courses allows young people to get a foot in the door in a rapidly growing industry.”
Students, teachers or parents wanting to register or find out more about the courses can visit Fuelling a Hydrogen Future: STEM Skills - CQUniversity.
Secondary students who complete the hydrogen-focused micro-credentials may also continue their studies through CQUniversity’s Start TAFE Now and Start Uni Now (SUN) courses available to secondary students in Years 11 and 12, including the SUN Fundamentals of Sustainable Energy Course which incorporates hydrogen and renewable energy modules.
