Makers Empire and the CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) recently celebrated their joint Careers Under Construction education program for 15 South Australian schools with a showcase day at Lot Fourteen in July, 2022. The Careers in Construction program was designed to help school students in South Australia start learning about careers in construction and imagine an exciting future for the industry.
The pilot program saw teachers from 15 schools across the state undertake Makers Empire’s research-backed Learning by Design program and learn how to use Makers Empire’s tools and 3D printers.
The participating schools were Bowden Brompton Community School, Cardijn College, Charles Campbell College, Christies Beach High School, Findon High School, Marryatville High School, Murray Bridge High School, Naracoorte High School, Parafield Gardens High School, Pedare Christian College, Seaton High School, St Paul’s College, Victor Harbor High School, Willunga High School and Gawler and Districts College.
Teachers learned about career pathways into the construction industry and had the opportunity to hear from people working in the construction industry including builders, project managers and architects. Representatives from industry partners also helped teachers to understand some of the skills required to work in the construction industry and what a typical day at work looked like for them.
Industry partners who worked with schools were Marshall and Brougham, T & J Constructions; Jordan Plumbing, Sitzler, Dycer Constructions, LCS Landscapes, KT3 Cabinetry, RSNANCE Floor Restore, and Civil Contractors Federation.
The Careers in Construction showcase day began included an expo-style showcase of the construction-themed projects students had worked on with input from industry partners.Â
Students took turns both presenting their projects to invited judges from the construction industry, teachers, students and invited guests and then visiting other booths and asking questions and providing feedback on other students’ projects. Many thanks to our expert judges: Litsa Adamou, House Inspect Australia; Andrew Cronin, Master Builders Association of South Australia; Chris Wiltshire, Housing Industry Association; Arthur Konstad, CITB; Zyggy Kulesza, Department for Education; Michael Scarman, Department for Education; Anthony Chhoy, Makers Empire; Roland Peddie, Makers Empire; and Matt Stuckey, Makers Empire.
Students also voted on the best project via a ballot-style competition.
After the expo, the three finalists were announced — Seaton High School, Victor Harbour High School  and Pedare Christian College — with the invited judges providing commentary on why these projects had caught their eye. Â
The three finalists then presented their projects to the large group of students, teachers and invited guests.Â
After the judges conferred, the winners were announced:
- First place: Seaton High School – for an invention to detect gas leaks on building sites
- Runner Up: Pedare Christian College – for a school canteen and lunchroom design
- People’s Choice Winner: Victor Harbor High School – for a community cafe building and business design
Presiding Member of the SA Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), John Chapman, said, “Thanks to all the Year 7 to 9 students and their teachers who took part in the Makers Empire “Learning by Design” project which is part of Construction Industry Training Board (CITB)’s Doorways2Construction program for secondary schools students. Congratulations to the team from Seaton High School which took out the top prize. We very much appreciate the support of secondary schools around SA as we work to attract the next generation of building and construction industry tradespeople.”
Mandi Dimitriadis, Director of Learning at Makers Empire said, “We have been really impressed by the quality of learning projects developed by students and showcased at this event. The project provides real-world contexts, industry expertise and design thinking tools to help students experience an authentic construction-related process, and learn more about possible pathways and careers in the construction industry. Makers Empire highly values this partnership with CITB and the support of the industry partners involved in the project.”
