TAFE NSW is helping eager Year 11 and 12 students get a headstart towards a career as a mechanic while contributing towards their HSC and ATAR.
The program offers students the option of completing teacher-led, virtually delivered courses supplemented by face-to-face training, aimed at giving teens the job-ready skills they need for the state’s most in-demand jobs.
Automotive technology students are on track to complete the hybrid learning program and finish school with a Certificate II in Automotive in addition to their HSC.
They have learned how cars and engines work and how to use traditional tools as well as the latest technology to make repairs.
Noah Sutton, a Year 12 student at Lakes Grammar Warnervale, said he wanted to leave school at the end of Year 10 for an apprenticeship but his mum wanted him to stay and get his HSC.
“The option to have this course count towards my HSC meant that we were able to compromise and I’ll obtain my HSC as well as my initial automotive qualification,” he said.
He attends classes one afternoon a week via the online classroom and practical assessments are completed at a TAFE automotive workshop over four days, once each term.
“The course is a good balance of theory and practical tasks which is great for students like me who don’t like to sit in a classroom for too long at a time,” he said.
“It can be challenging to miss four days of regular school lessons when Year 11 and 12 are so fast paced, so it does require a fair amount of motivation and commitment to catch-up on lessons when I return from workshop assessment weeks.
“To complete the course I also had to get 70 hours of work experience and I did one full working week each with two separate mechanics but luckily one of those was in school holidays so it didn’t conflict with school.
“This course gave me a better understanding of the range of work a mechanic does, without having made a commitment to a career.
“I’d like to think that future potential employers would look favourably on me successfully completing this course prior to me entering an apprenticeship because it demonstrates my commitment and motivation to learn in the automotive field prior to being employed in the industry.”
Students interested in including a TAFE-delivered Vocational Education and Training course in their studies in 2024 should talk to their school career adviser.
Sue Murray