High school students are being given the chance to try their hand at metal fabrication in a bid to attract workers to the industry.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Six Year 10 students from Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School had an early start at Apollo Engineering on Friday, June 21, where they were given practical experience of a day in the life of a metal fabricator.
The students started the day with a safety induction and site tour, where they observed the process of designing and creating their own tool box.
After making metal dice, they were able to start on their own toolboxes, with very "promising" results, Regional Industry Education Partnerships (RIEP) officer Karly Brogan said.
"While the RIEP program cannot fix the initial skill shortage issue in the engineering industry, we are working towards skilling the future of NSW, and Training Services NSW wouldn't be able to do this without the help of our local employers," Ms Brogan said.
RIEP's LaunchPad program in partnership with Apollo Engineering has been operating for about six weeks, in conjunction with various schools.
Apollo's managing director David Errington said the aim was to work with 10 different schools by the end of the term.
Mr Errington said there had been lots of positive feedback coming out of the workshops, with students either interested in apprenticeships at the end of the year, or pursuing careers in engineering after Year 12.
He said the time spent at Apollo gave students the opportunity to experience what it was like to work in the metal fabrication industry, while also showing them how a business creates a product from start to finish.
Peel High is the next school off the blocks on Friday, June 28.
