Rocking on into WorldSkills
13 October 2005
Seventeen year-old Daniel Coffey has won a place in the WorldSkills VET in schools regional competition with his construction of a wooden rocking horse.
Daniel, who is in Year 11 at St Bernard's College in Essendon, is currently undertaking the Certificate II in Building and Construction at Kangan Batman TAFE's Avondale Heights campus. He constructed the rocking horse as part of his training with the Institute.
Kangan Batman TAFE teachers, Gary Brittle and Simon Roe, encouraged Daniel to enter the World Skills competition because of his natural ability to work with wood and tools.
Daniel is thrilled to have passed the first selection stage of World Skills, and is looking forward to the next round of the competition.
WorldSkills Australia is a not-for-profit organisation that conducts trade and skill competitions to challenge young people to achieve work skill excellence.
If Daniel is successful in the regional competition, he will proceed to next year's WorldSkills Australia National Competition to be held in Melbourne in May.
Gary said Kangan Batman TAFE's building and construction VET program has doubled in popularity since they began offering it at the Avondale Heights campus.
'The VET program services a critical need for this area as there is really no alternative for secondary school students wanting to do building and construction,' said Gary.
'VET programs like ours offer young people an alternative to traditional academic paths,' he said. 'We teach skills which are transferable into other trades. Students learn to work with tools, develop a work ethic and gain insight into working in a trade.'
According to Gary, many of these VET students return to Kangan Batman TAFE after their VCE to undertake a pre-apprenticeship or apprenticeship.
'Daniel will definitely end up working in the building industry in some capacity,' said Gary.
There are currently three groups of VET in school students in the building and construction stream, with 35 students in Daniel's group alone.
Most of the students undertaking this VET course attend secondary schools in the Avondale Heights area.
For more information, phone 13 TAFE or visit www.kangan.edu.au
