The Gold Industry Group’s National Gold Education Program reached more than 300 schools in 2020, delivering free, exclusive Gold Resources Kits and dynamic Gold Class Sessions across the country.
Despite COVID-19, 300 of the popular Gold Resources Kits were delivered to Primary and Secondary schools across all States and Territories, including to eight Shooting Stars sites, bringing gold education and career insights to thousands of students and teachers.
21 unique Gold Class Sessions were also presented at five Primary and seven Secondary schools across Perth, Kalgoorlie, Kambalda and Norseman in Term 3 and 4, receiving glowing feedback both from teachers and students.
“Very well presented and engaging incursion. Thanks so much for coming out to us,” said Kambalda Primary School teacher Liz Pickering.
“Great mapping activity, starting from general overview then narrowing down. Also, great teamwork between male and female presenters, kept the show flowing,” said Cannington Community College Science Learning Area Leader John Twigg.
“Thank you very much, I think all the resources you are generating are wonderful and I really appreciate the effort that has gone into providing this for us,” said Presbyterian Ladies College Perth Laboratory Technician Janine Nicholson.
Primary school students in Years 4, 5 and 6 were taught how to create pulley systems for different scenarios and how important safety is within the gold industry. Secondary school students in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 learnt how to explore for gold deposits by analysing gold ore formations and interacting with a series of geological and geophysical maps to choose an area of interest for gold mining. Both engaging STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) activities were developed in conjunction with Australian Earth Science Education.
Gold Class Facilitator Steven Hulme
The Program’s Gold Class Facilitators hail from a wide range of backgrounds from superintendents, metallurgists, environment advisors and exploration geologists to human resources advisors, personal assistants and general managers. Students gain a unique opportunity to interact with gold industry workers and learn about the diverse range of careers on offer through the delivery of Gold Class Sessions.
Gold Class Facilitator and Gold Road Resources’ Principal Corporate Development Steven Hulme delivered a record six sessions last year.
“Students are very engaged and interested about our industry whilst also being appreciative of the time spent with them. The sessions are great fun and it’s really rewarding being able to talk to future young leaders about the gold industry and share some of that passion,” said Mr Hulme.
Narrogin Shooting Stars participants
The exclusive Gold Resources Kits, featuring gold and rock samples from Australian gold mines, also provide teachers with a variety of fun and engaging STEM tools and activities linked to the Australian Curriculum, to excite Primary and Secondary students about Australia’s diverse gold sector. Materials include a Teacher Guide, Gold Specimen map, Gold Careers poster, Get into Gold flyer, Discover Gold in Your Life booklets and A Golden Country brochure, available for free on the Gold Industry Group’s website.
More than 350 Indigenous girls in the Shooting Stars program enjoyed exploring the rocks in the Kits.
“It’s a great resource for the participants to learn more about gold with interactive resources. The girls found it interesting when they were able to pick the rocks up and use the geological hand lens to take a close up look at different types of rocks,” said Shooting Stars Regional Manager Latoya Bolton-Black.
“Participants also enjoyed finding out new and interesting fun facts about gold through the Discover Gold in Your Life booklet,” added Ms Bolton-Black.
Gold Industry Group Executive Officer Rebecca Johnston said she was delighted to see the Program attracting such a high volume of interest and demand for further engagement.
“We are aiming to produce another 1000 Gold Resources Kits this year given the positive feedback we’ve received and the growing demand.
“We are also hoping to reach more schools and expand into other States as we train more passionate industry facilitators,” Ms Johnston said.
This Term 500 new Kits are available and feature two new rock samples which are unique to West Australian gold mines.
Teachers in Western Australia can now book a free Gold Session for their class (including a Kit), and schools nation-wide can order a free Gold Resources Kit via the online platform. Due to COVID-19, the delivery of Gold Sessions in Victoria and New South Wales continues to be monitored, schools in these States can contact us for session availability. Schools across Australia can also order free gold materials for their classrooms.
The Gold Industry Group’s National Gold Education Program is inspiring the future leaders of Australia’s gold industry, and is proudly supported by members AngloGold Ashanti Australia, Bellevue Gold Limited, Gold Fields Australia, Gold Road Resources, Evolution Mining, Kirkland Lake Gold, Newmont, Northern Star Resources Limited, Ramelius Resources, Regis Resources Limited, Westgold Resources Limited and ABC Refinery.