This week, students involved in the RDA Hunter/Training Services NSW STEM-Ship Program visited leading Hunter industries including Varley Group, Boeing Defence, UAVAir, Cummins and Komatsu as part of their work placement.
In an Australian first, 17 students from across the Hunter recently embarked on a Vocational Education and Training (VET) pre-employment program that combines previously unconnected TAFE modules with niche professional placement to provide a clear pathway to STEM careers and the jobs of the future.
Developed by Regional Development Australia (RDA) Hunter’s ME Program in partnership with the Department of Industry (Training Services NSW) and Hunter TAFE, the STEM-ship initiative is a pilot program which directly addresses Hunter industry’s need for recruits with a combination of sophisticated STEM skills and well developed problem solving, team work, communication and decision making skills.
The STEM-ship initiative is unique in that it includes a range of non-technical and technical STEM based skill sets that are highly desirable for local industry. Developed as a result of extensive consultation with local industries the STEM Ship program is designed to meet the growing disconnect between employers expectations and the reality of the lack of employability skills amongst most school leavers. The students undergo an extensive 15 week program in which they gain experience in a range of STEM fields and must work as a team completing Project Based Learning activities to ultimately produce an autonomous vehicle and present their work to potential employers.
27 applicants from 12 schools across the region applied for the STEM-Ship program and 18 were selected through a competitive selection process to commence study at Hunter TAFE this week. The students will embark on industry placement with companies including Boeing Defence, Jetstar Engineering, BAE Systems and innovative STEM based start-ups such as Autopilot, UAVAir and Obelisk Systems.
“We developed STEM-ships to improve the employability of the Hunter’s young people after the region’s industry expressed a need for people with STEM skills and high level non-technical skills. Our ME Program has been extremely successful in upskilling students in science, technology, engineering and maths. STEM-ships are the next step in matching them with the high-skill jobs of the future,” said RDA Hunter CEO, Todd Williams.
“It’s a different way of thinking about skills and qualifications. It has required us and our partners to challenge some traditional educational concepts but the result is an exciting program that will provide young people with valuable life-long skills and industry with the adaptable personnel that they’re looking for.” continued Mr Williams.