School Infrastructure NSW wants the Armidale Secondary College project to demonstrate best-practice for engaging students in the construction process and supporting greater skill development for the community.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
This case study demonstrates School Infrastructure NSW’s (SINSW) commitment to improve skills and training as outlined in the 10 Point Plan.
Armidale Secondary College will cater for 1,500 secondary school students and is a consolidation of the Armidale High School and the Duval High School.
The redevelopment will provide new infrastructure to meet the learning and wellbeing needs of students. Connections between indoor and outdoor are being enhanced to provide better learning environments.
INITIATIVES
SINSW is rolling out its first Infrastructure Skills Legacy Program (ISLP) project in collaboration with Training Services NSW through various construction activities and providing additional opportunities for students to engage in the construction process. This program aims to contribute to improving skills and training in the construction industry as part of the 10 Point Plan.
APPROACH
The majority of SINSW projects are below the threshold for ISLP requirements but SINSW and Training Services NSW have worked together to consider different ways to engage students and help to improve industry skills and training. The approach includes:
OUTCOMES
By leveraging the benefits of being part of the broader Department of Education, SINSW is involving more students at school age learning about the construction industry and pathways for entering the industry. SINSW is achieving this by:
Embedding apprenticeships into the project
Training and employment opportunities continue to be identified at Armidale Secondary College and within the local community and Richard Crookes Construction is working to exceed NSW Government requirements and targets for apprenticeships as well as confirming its intent to provide training and employment opportunities directly to Armidale Secondary College graduates and the local community.
Apprentice statistics for November 2019 are noted in the following table:
|
Apprentice Hours |
Cumulative |
Current monthly FTE |
Ratio of apprentices to total workforce |
|
2,656 |
7697.1 |
12.48 |
25.74% |
Site visits
By offering students additional experiences there has been an increased awareness of the project in the community and a noticeable increase in engagement during the site visits from the students.
Around twenty construction students from the existing Armidale High School and Duval High Schools visit the project site on a monthly basis to gain exposure to the construction process. Six visits were completed in 2019. Visits will continue in 2020.
Aboriginal Participation in Construction (APIC)
Aboriginal Participation spending is currently at 1.20% of the project spend to date, which is on track to meet the total target participation rate of 3%.
The APIC monthly spend for this period is noted in the following table:
|
Monthly Spend |
Project Spend to date |
Participation rate |
|
$ 136,500.00 |
$1,104,566.25 |
1.20% |
*Participation Rate = {(APIC Spend this month) / (Original Construction Contract Value)} * 100
For more information, visit the School Infrastructure webpage or contact the team at School Infrastructure NSW.
Phone: 1300 482 651
