Pilot tech program soars

AUSTRALIA’S P-Tech pilot, which links businesses and schools to deliver training and job pathways for students, has seen participant schools increase their enrolment figures by up to 80 per cent.

Skilling Australia Foundation chief executive Nicholas Wyman said the response by students and their parents to Pathways in Technology (P-Tech) schools had been phenomenal.

“Where P-Tech really comes into its own is that it involves schools and employers working together,’’ Wyman said.

“These [partnerships between schools and industry)]are full-on work placements. Students are working on real-life projects. It’s hand and mind learning, as opposed to just textbook learning in the classroom.’’

The Federal Government has invested $5.1 million to pilot P-Tech at 14 sites across Australia.

Wyman said enrolments in P-Tech schools are steadily increasing.

At Hunter River High, in NSW, Year 7 enrolments have increased by a third since the school joined the pilot last year.

At St Patrick’s Technical College, in Adelaide, Year 11 enrolments have this year risen by 80 per cent, largely because of the partnerships formed with defence industry giants such as Saab Australia.

“The type of workers [Saab] need just don’t exist in South Australia,” Wyman said. “No one has the electrotechnology skills they need – they’re not [being learnt at uni], they’re not coming from TAFE.

“That’s what P-Tech’s about – it’s giving students the skills they need for the jobs in their region.’’

Under the P-Tech model, students study a certificate II qualification at the same time as their senior school studies.

They then have the option to continue to a diploma, advanced diploma or degree qualification post-school.

School leaver Connor Sullivan said P-Tech has exposed him to a wide range of career possibilities.

Sullivan, 17, obtained a Certificate II in Electrotechnology while studying Year 12 last year, and while he originally expected to seek out an electrical apprenticeship, he says he now hopes to study biomedical engineering at TAFE, before progressing to university.

“I’m hoping to get a job in a hospital either helping repair hospital equipment or even making electrical prosthetics,’’ he said.