Students at Kyabram P-12 College are often presented unique opportunities to complete their studies and build on useful skills, while simultaneously involving themselves in the community.
The word ‘community’ is entrenched in the school’s ethos and is one of three core values Kyabram P-12 College prides itself on.
The school’s VCE VET Building and Construction students are getting a first-hand masterclass on community involvement with their fixer-upper project — a boat — for the Kyabram Community Learning Centre (KCLC).
Not only is the project a way for students to involve themselves in the community, but it’s also a way to convert their learning into practical skills with a piece that is much more than a school project.
The boat, once completed, will be placed in the community gardens for preschoolers to play on, adventure with and to explore imaginative worlds.
The students have been working on this project for the past five weeks under the guidance of teacher Lionel Curling.
Mr Curling said students were free to come up with a project they thought would show off their skills, and that when the opportunity to fix up the boat arrived, they jumped on it.
“I just let them run this,” he said.
“The scope was to find something for kids to play on, but the sizes, plans and designs — I just let them go to their own devices.”
Year 11 student Xavier Gullan said he was looking to get into carpentry after school, and woodworking was a hobby for him — so the course has been a ‘best of both worlds’ situation.
“It’s been a pretty decent process so far... we have three sessions where we work on the boat, and one session of theory,” he said.
“There’s been a few setbacks with equipment, but we’ve worked around it... all in all, we’ve made it work.”
The program is a jump-off point for students to gauge their interest in trades and whether it is a pathway they want to follow.
Students complete various units that explore all facets of the construction industry such as community, environment, and, of course, the practical skills, such as using power tools, equipment safety and other tasks.
“It’s a bit of a starting point to wherever they would like to get to. This course could lead to a certificate three as an apprentice... or these guys could be a spark plumber, could be a bricklayer or in concrete,” Mr Curling said.
“They’re learning the basics here, which can lead them into whichever trade they might choose.”