
Issue No 74		20 October 2000

LaborNET	Ask Neale	Tool of the Week

Unions

A Partnership That Works

Students at Williamstown High in Victoria are benefiting from a creative partnership with TAFE and the Electrical Trades Union. Kevin Peoples reports.

Williamstown High School and the Victoria University of Technology, TAFE Division (VUT) have entered into a partnership to provide an innovative curriculum for students of Williamstown High who see their future careers in the trades. This partnership has been made possible by a third party - the Electrical Trades Union of Victoria (ETU).

Members of the ETU made this Trades Orientation Program (TOP) possible by their contribution of $25,000 and their guarantee that an apprenticeship will be found for all students who successfully complete the Electrical pre-apprenticeship course. Students in TOP also receive support through the union's Apprenticeship Welfare Officer, Dave Kerin.

The scheme works like this. Students in Years 9 and 10 at Williamstown High are eligible to enter the program. Students selected must be at least 15 years and no older than 17. They should have literacy and numeracy skills to at least Level 5 of the Curriculum and Standards and they must demonstrate an interest in an aptitude for trades studies. Applicants must also demonstrate a capacity to take responsibility for personal, day-to-day organisation and for their interactions with other students and staff at the University. All studies are undertaken away from Williamstown High at three campuses of VUT.

Students take 20 hours of trade subjects and 10 hours of secondary education per week. In semester 1 all students get a taster of the Building Trades - Carpentry, Painting and Decorating, Sign Writing, Electrical /Electronics, Plumbing and Furniture Studies. In September 2 they sample Auto/Engineering - Motor Mechanics, Panel Beating, Vehicle Painting, Metal Fabrication and Welding. The secondary component is 3 hours of English, 3 hours of Mathematics and 4 hours of Job Search and Personal Development.

I spoke to a number of the boys and asked them if they had decided what trade areas they were interested in. They all knew exactly what they wanted. One student, Ross, told me he had left school at fifteen. He was unhappy with his job and decided to return to Williamstown High after a year in the workforce. Ross wants to be a plumber.

All the trade subjects are nationally accredited pre-apprenticeship modules. Students receive advanced standing in any future TAFE studies. Alan Dalton, Student Welfare Coordinator at Williamstown High, made it clear that there was nothing 'mickey-mouse' about these studies. Alan also insisted that this was not a program set up to meet behavioural problems. Rather, this was a program designed to meet the legitimate needs of students who felt that mainstream VCE courses were not for them.

A Certificate of Achievement is attained at the end of the course. Mort important are the options then available to the students. They can seek an apprenticeship, undertake a pre-apprenticeship course , seek employment, return to school to continue Year 10 or VCE or undertake further study at the VTU. Of the 12 students who completed the course in 1999, three gained apprenticeships, four entered full-time pre-apprenticeship studies, two found employment, two went back to school and one repeated TOP. At the time of writing seven of the twelve are apprentices.

TOP began in 1999 with 12 students selected. In 2000 there are 24 students. At this stage all are boys but this could change in 2001. Additional funding from the new Labor government in Victoria has been requested and this could boost numbers in 2001 and possibly see young women in the program.

Students selected must commit themselves to complete at least one semester of the two-semester or one-year program. A Joint Committee, chaired by Neville Penny, Head of Department, Plumbing, Paints and Signs, manages the program. Ms Liz Holland, a secondary English teacher employed by Williamstown High, is responsible for the operations of the program. Ms Holland teaches the English component of TOP and is assisted by another Williamstown High teacher, Hilary Snaize, who teaches Mathematics.

This cooperative effort demonstrates once again what is possible when secondary schools, universities and TAFE Colleges work with the wider community for the benefit of young people. The evidence here is that the students have become more self-reliant. They are confident about their work and in their ability to learn. They are happy to be working in an area that leads to a genuine career choice even though their study week involves five extra hours of class time than other Year 10 students.

For more details about TOP contact Alan Dalton, at Williamstown High on 9397 1899 or email [email protected]

Reproduced with permission from The Australian TAFE Teacher, Winter 2000, Australian Education Union.

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Issue 74 contents

Interview: Politics Italian Style
Italian journalist's union official Rodolfo Falvo talks to Peter Lewis about Italy's Rupert Murdoch and why Italian politics is so crazy.

Unions: A Partnership That Works
Students at Williamstown High in Victoria are benefiting from a creative partnership with TAFE and the Electrical Trades Union. Kevin Peoples reports.

International: Fiji Paymasters Fill Their Own Pockets
The Interim Administration imposed on the people of Fiji, as a result of the coup-makers, have voted themselves a hefty pay increase at the same time as they demand public sector workers take a twelve per cent pay cut.

Politics: USA Campaign 2000 - On the Road
Michael Gadiel reports on the thrills, spills, highs and lows of the US Presidential Election.

Women: Party Girl
'You can take the girl out of the Port, but you can't take the Port out of the girl' - Stephanie Key recounts her life as a feminist in a male bastion, the Transport Workers Union.

Satire: Telstra to issue $50,000 Reith Phonecard
CANBERRA, Monday: Telstra have announced Peter Reith-themed phonecard. The phonecard allows friends and family to make $50,000 worth of phone calls on it before you receive a bill. Plus, you only have to pay the bill in total if there is sufficient public outrage, otherwise the card costs just $950.

Review: Health, Wealth and Mutual Obligations
Mutual obligation for the poor only, increasing income inequality and a widening health gap. Welcome to the 21st century -or is it the 19th?

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