GEELONG STUDENTS IMPRESSED BY TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE
More than 430 students in Years 7 to 9 from Geelong’s secondary schools and colleges saw, first hand, the types of exciting and innovative projects that the modern manufacturing tradesperson now gets involved with during their course of work.
They experienced this during their visits to Deakin University’s Geelong Technology Precinct on its Waurn Ponds campus, Ford Australia’s Discovery Centre at Geelong’s waterfront and the Gordon Institute of TAFE’s Boundary Road campus, over three days, on 23 – 25 July as part of the Geelong Technology Showcase.
The visits and the displays and the equipment that they saw and worked with during their visits will help them to choose what trade stream they will wish to pursue in their working life.
The Technology Showcase and visits were part of Project 729 in Advanced Manufacturing which is an initiative to first correct the misconceptions that exist in students and their parents about manufacturing trade careers and to assist them in their choice of manufacturing streams they want to navigate.
Project 729 involves students in Years 7 – 9 and is an initiative of the Smart Geelong Region Local Learning and Employment Network and it is being done with the financial support of the Australian Industry Group and in collaboration with AiG’s regional industry careers adviser, Maria Zaluski.
Other major stakeholders in the project are the Geelong Employers Reference Group, which is chaired by Ross George of Austeng in North Geelong, the Post-Compulsory Network and G21 Skills Task Force.
All organisations realised the crisis that Geelong’s manufacturing industries were facing through crippling skills shortages while youth unemployment in the region continued to be at near record levels!
Project 729 is different. It targets school students at an earlier age and involves them in hands-on activities and it implements careers education into the school curriculum. Project 729 also focuses on engaging employers, parents, teachers and young people in a broad ranging program of activities to let them see how work in trade areas has dramatically changed and improved along with the financial outcomes.
Project 729 has also organised other activities including the Girls’ Big Day Out when one hundred Year 9 girls participated in a day of applied learning industry tasters in non-traditional trade areas and other trade tasters for boys.
Employers’ Group Chairman, Ross George, said that group is taking a holistic view of the present trade situation in Geelong. “We’ve got the four corners of the square – parents, kids, employers and teachers. It is all about getting them all involved and engaged “ he said.
Project 729 has been an outstanding success over its two years of operation and the Smart Geelong Region LLEN is determined to see it continue well into the future for the students and the region’s benefit.
The Technology Showcase was devised by Margaret Walker and Jamie McKinnon who are the project officers on Project 729 with the Smart Geelong Region LLEN.