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Timber Queensland, in partnership with the Maryborough Industry Training Hub, has developed a program of industry tours for senior students in the Fraser Coast region to provide a first-hand insight into the working environment of three parts of the forest and timber industry supply chain (forest management, harvest & haulage, timber processing) and an understanding of the vocational educational training requirements, apprenticeships, traineeships and career opportunities available in each area.

Fourteen senior ag-science students from Hervey Bay State High School were the first group to embark on the Grow, Harvest, Process: Introduction to the Forest & Timber Industry Tour.

By way of an introduction into the world of forestry, while on the bus students watched an industry career promotion video specifically produced for the tour and used VR headsets to watch ForestLearning ForestVR™ experiences about hardwood and softwood plantations and processing – a fully immersive experience from the get-go! Students also received an industry pack including a workbook with industry case studies and “day in the life” interviews, trade and profession profiles, career path maps and training suggestions.

The first stop was HQPlantations’ Toolara nursery to learn about the seed breeding program, which gave rise to the unique species of Southern pine grown in Queensland’s softwood plantations. Students were also taken into the forest to see a newly thinned and a newly planted site, as well as watching how harvesters use mapping and surveillance drones.

After lunch, the students were off to Maryborough to visit DTM Timber and do a walking tour of their hardwood sawmill. Students heard about the region’s rich timber history and were able to field questions to apprentices, managers and contractors about employment pathways into both DTM and Hyne Timber’s processing operations.

The day ended at Sunchip where the students revelled in getting up close and personal with a fully loaded log truck and harvester, while hearing about the state of the art technology employed to keep harvest and haulage operators safe while on the road.

The tour will be rolled out to Gympie and Maryborough students later this year or early 2023 with a view to making the program available for interested schools and students across the Wide Bay region, where the forest and timber industry supports more than 2000 jobs.