Findon Technical College promises students will ‘walk straight from year 12 into a job’
Enrolments have opened for a new technical college, which will equip students with submarine building skills and guarantee them a job.
Education
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Students of a new technical college are “guaranteed a job”, according to the Premier.
Enrolments are now open for the brand new Findon Technical College for the 2024 school year.
The college, which is located at Findon High School between the city and Osborne Naval Shipyard, has partnered with global defence company BAE Systems to offer about 200 students jobs upon the completion of their course.
“If a student enrols today, they’re going to be guaranteed a job once they finish their course at the completion of school,” Premier Peter Malinauskas said.
“Partnerships with employers such as BAE are critical to fulfil our national defence commitments,” Mr Malinauskas said.
“They’re also an enormous opportunity for young people to get an amazing head start.”
While there is no inked deal to guarantee every student a job, the demand for skilled workers at companies such as BAE will result in the employment of “literally thousands of people”, he said.
Education Minister Blair Boyer said it was the “defining feature” of the college and would remove anxiety over career prospects for students once out of school.
“Families of kids as young as year 8 level will be able to see how they can move year 10 into the technical college stream and then walk straight from that after year 12 into a job.”
BAE Systems head of early careers Georgette Elston said the company was looking to employ “somewhere between 10 and 20” students next year from the technical college.
“We’ve got immediate work with the Hunter Class Frigate Program … and we’re not even near the AUKUS submarine and what that might look like for all the firms involved in that.”
The programs at the technical college will benefit the state and country two-fold for national defence and careers for young people.”
The college will have programs for students in years 10 to 12 such as Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering which features topics including industrial maintenance, welding and computer-aided design.
Next year, between 70 to 80 students will fill classes in years 10 and 11 and by 2025 the same number will be across all levels, including year 12.
The curriculum is being made in consult with industry partners Ms Elston said.
“BAE Systems Australia is already working closely to support curriculum design and development of employer programs.”
The new technical college is currently about 30 per cent complete after construction started earlier this year.
And the interest in the programs has already been “exceptional”, Findon High School principal Kathleen Hoare said.
“We’ve had a substantial increase in our enrolment inquiries just in the first week of this term.”
Findon Technical College is one of five being built across the state to be completed by 2026 at a cost of $208.8m.
The other technical colleges will be located at the Heights School, the Tonsley Innovation precinct, Port Augusta and Mt Gambier.
Other education streams at Findon Technical College will focus on early childhood and education and training in health and social care with industry partnership opportunities.
Mr Boyer said the direct links to employers such as Helping Hand will address “huge skill shortages” in aged care and disability sectors.
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