A joint initiative between South Australian agencies and the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has reaped the fruits of student labour.
Students from several northern Adelaide secondary high schools have fully restored and rebuilt two derelict northern suburbs Housing Trust homes at Davoren Park.
The students and their teachers have handed back the renovated homes to the Minister for Housing, Jennifer Rankin in December last year.
Students worked during the 2010 school year on the houses to renovate and return them to the Public Housing inventory as part of the ‘Doorways 2 Construction’ (D2C) program in SA schools.
The renovations were carried out to full commercial specification using a range of building and construction skills.
Students gained first hand experience of the industry and developed skills that make them immediately productive if they choose to work in the industry.
The program was delivered by specially trained technical studies teachers and students carry out work under the supervision of a licensed builder.
D2C provided ‘hands-on’ trades experience of the construction industry for students in Years 11 and 12. The program operates in 25 ‘clusters’ of schools across the State.
The project was a joint initiative of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), Housing SA and the Department of Education and Children’s Services.
The Salisbury program is directly supported by the Master Builders Association as the Registered Training Organisation which ‘signs off’ students on the skills they acquire.
D2C began in 2000 and is one of the largest, most enduring and successful programs of its kind in Australia.
There are about 700 students in the program each year and about 70 percent of the 2009 cohort found jobs and apprenticeships and the CITB hopes for similar results with this year’s group.
“Instead of making CD racks and coffee tables, these kids are refurbishing whole buildings and working with professional tradespeople,” Len Warren said training manager at CITB’s.
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