GOULBURN MURRAY TRADES SKILLS CENTRE 2018

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Goulburn Murray Trades Skills Centre

State-of-the-art training facility

for Shepparton region CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE REGION‌ From left, Goulburn Murray Trades Skills Centre trainer, Brad Ornsby, GOTAFE building team leader of operations, Jeff Gleeson and student, Jaymon Jong at the new $9.4M training facility. Photo: Supplied.

THE brand new Goulburn Murray Trades Skills Centre (GMTSC) is a state-of-the-art, purpose built and designed, training facility located at McGuire College in Archer Street, Shepparton.

The new $9.4M project, made possible through funding from the Federal Government is a shared project with GOTAFE and a consortium of local schools aimed to encourage schools to establish partnerships in order to maximise opportunities for students to access trade and vocational training.

The synergies between GOTAFE and the schools have enabled the upgrading of skills training through integrated materials and systems delivered in facilities designed to take advantage of cleaner, greener technology at school and post-school levels.

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Goulburn Murray Trades Skills Centre

Letter of welcome from

GOTAFE CEO, Travis Heeney WE are extremely excited to celebrate the commencement of operations at our new campus in Archer Street, Shepparton.

The Goulburn Murray Trades Skills Centre is an initiative of the Better Together Alliance comprising of GOTAFE and the regions’ four public secondary schools, McGuire College, Shepparton High School, Wanganui Park and Mooroopna Secondary Colleges.

The architecturally designed facility was co-funded by the Federal Government, as part of the trade skills initiative and will provide the perfect learning environment for building, construction and cabinet making students.

The Goulburn Murray Trades Skills Centre is a very welcome addition to our region, moving GOTAFE to the forefront of

technology in the building industry.

The space has already seen over one hundred students test out the facility and equipment as they learn to master their chosen trades.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who contributed to the creation of the campus. From the architects to the builders, electricians, plumbers and painters, 90 percent of the construction was provided by local businesses, even including current GOTAFE Apprentices.

On behalf of GOTAFE, I encourage all within the community to embrace the start-of-the-art facilities on offer. The campus belongs to the people of the Goulburn Valley and we want it to be considered as an active hub available to businesses and community groups to use as a place to meet and collaborate.

Federal Member for Murray, the

Hon Damian Drum MP THE Goulburn Murray Trades Skills Centre will make a substantial difference to local students who want to pursue a career in a trade.

Having the best possible learning space for our next generation of tradespeople is important to regional communities like ours.

This new state-of-the-art facility will be widely used by students from across the Goulburn and Murray Valleys. It is important that the Federal Government can support young people training for a trade in the community of which they live. As a former tradesman I know how important it is to

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get the best possible education for my selected trade, having industry standard equipment at students fingertips will give them the best possible launching pad for their apprenticeships.

I would like to congratulate everyone involved in this fantastic project for our region.

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Goulburn Murray Trades Skills Centre

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State-of-the-art training facility

for Shepparton region WANGANUI Park Secondary College principal and representative of Better Together Alliance (a unity of the four government secondary colleges in Greater Shepparton sharing a vision to provide an excellent education for every young person in the area), Ken Murray said, “When discussions began five years ago, GOTAFE and the local schools were looking to do something but none of us independently could have done what we have produced here.

“We decided to pool our money and resources effectively and develop a partnership amongst the schools and GOTAFE, so it will be for GOTAFE’s use and also for our schools to have access to,” Ken said.

The GMTSC will provide flexibility in order to accommodate changing skill requirements and will be a combination of technologybased and hands-on skills. It will consist of industry standard equipment and simulated areas that will accommodate training.

“We are not just providing

something that is ok or that is satisfactory, like we were previously,” Ken said.

“We now have a facility that others will come to and go wow, that’s an amazing thing for Shepparton.”

The GMTSC, which will be the training facility for carpentry, cabinet making and building construction, was designed by Vincent Chrisp Architects from Shepparton.

Vincent Chrisp Architects senior architect, Julie Kelly has been involved with the project for the past 18 months.

“I am very excited and very pleased with it,” Julie said.

“These projects start with an idea so to get from that idea, to consult with all the user groups and all the people involved and to get the funding for it and to finally get approval that ‘yes we can build something’, is a huge effort from start to finish.

“I think it has come up enormously well. It was very exciting to walk into the building after it was finished, to see it being used by the students.”

Orrin Bester A student’s perspective WHEN Orrin Bester was a young boy, he remembers his father taking him to parliament house to see the prime minister’s suite and prime minister’s desk that he had built. That visit along with regular visits to his father’s workplace ignited an interest in cabinet making that now sees Orrin undertaking his apprenticeship in the field.

Orrin went online to search for a cabinet making apprenticeship. There he found The Apprenticeship Factory, commenced an apprenticeship and his studies with GOTAFE and the rest, as they say, is history.

Orrin said, “In life, I am generally fussy which you can get away with in cabinet making as you need to get things within millimetres. There is no space for error. You can also take your time crafting pieces so they are perfect when finished.”

The Goulburn Murray Trades Skills Centre is new with lots more room to maneuver and Orrin says that is a bonus. “The student amenities are great. And the tools and machinery are all new and state-of-the-art

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which is awesome,” Orrin said.

He also says that the trainers are fantastic. “Brad and Jeff have done the work before so they are experienced and are fantastic at providing positive feedback and constructive criticism which helps us learn as students,” Orrin said.

Orrin hopes to open his own cabinet making company. “I am hoping to find work with another cabinet maker and work for them until I get more experience and then hopefully start my own shop and I could not do that without the four years at GOTAFE in these amazing facilities. It really is a great environment to master my craft,” Orrin said.

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UP-TO-DATE TRAINING… The Apprenticeship Factory CEO, Paula Ryan believes it is important for apprentices to like their environment and for the region to have a great facility where the apprentices can get up to date training. Photo: Sharelle Jarvis.

Great for industry and the region CHOSEN by GOTAFE for the quality of their products and their availability to deliver on time, Jackaroo Timber have proudly supplied timber to GOTAFE’s Shepparton and Wangaratta campuses for the past 12 years.

Michael Craven from Jackaroo Timber said, “We support all the TAFE’s throughout Melbourne and are very fortunate to be one of GOTAFE’s timber suppliers for this project.”

Speaking about the new Goulburn Murray Trades Skills Centre (GMTSC), Michael said the building is fantastic.

Michael thinks that having a brand new training facility is great for the Shepparton region and the students.

Michael said, “I think any person likes to see something new and the students will enjoy being in a new environment and it will help their wellbeing and persona.”

Michael believes there is a great outlook for jobs across the building industry.

“With all the numbers I see, housing is constantly increasing, whether it be new builds, extensions, units or apartments,” Michael said.

The Apprenticeship Factory CEO, Paula Ryan also believes it is important for apprentices to like their environment and for the region to have a great facility where the apprentices can get up to date training.

“There is a demand for apprentices and as building continues to change, it is really important that we stay up to date and have local facilities for local people,” Paula said.

“If students have to travel away from the region it can be difficult at times particularly if they do not have their licence.

“For us, it is great to have a good working relationship with GOTAFE Shepparton and we will continue to use them particularly with these great facilities.”

The facility has also provided training opportunities for students studying other streams with GOTAFE.

Trainers and students from the horticulture area have been tasked with the landscaping at the new facility. Students were asked to create a space where users of GMTSC could go and not feel like they were right next to the busy road.

Horticulture students were provided with plans of the site and then sent away to come up with individual designs. These designs were presented at the William Orr Campus where they were then assessed. Trainers incorporated elements of each student’s design into the final design. Students had never been exposed to design until they commenced the course.

Trainers ensured that the final design included elements that are part of their training. Areas include irrigation, concrete block and structural works, welding and more.

The area will also incorporate lots of open spaces in order to be able to accommodate almost 200 students when the building is at full capacity, and will also have a barbeque area.

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Goulburn Murray Trades Skills Centre

Combining learning styles IT’S ABOUT THEIR WAY OF LEARNING… GOTAFE building team leader of operations, Jeff Gleeson with student, Corey Bowen. Photo: Supplied.

Corey Bowen

A student’s perspective WHEN Corey Bowen left school, he wanted to be a builder. Not knowing any builders, he found it hard to find a job in the building industry.

Corey approached the Bendigo Kitchen Centre, where he had previously done work experience whilst in year 10, and they took him on in a casual position.

“After working as a labourer for six months, I thought I could do this for four years, so they put me on as an apprentice and the rest is history,” Corey said.

Corey enjoys working with his hands and loves that with cabinet making he does not have to be out in the elements of 40°C heat or getting rained on.

“It is really good to start something, finish and install it and then get to see that the clients love it,” Corey said.

Corey hopes that when he finishes his course, he will have the qualification to go wherever he wants.

“Here at GOTAFE, it’s not like what I do at work,” Corey said.

“It is more like old school joinery-cabinet making and it is a bit different but it’s something that you can still do when you want to start your own business.”

Corey says the new Archer Street campus is more people friendly with bigger and more modern classrooms and has a better factory set up.

“I didn’t mind the old one but new is always better,” Corey said.

“I love learning here at GOTAFE because they have got all the new equipment and it is great,” Corey said.

“The teachers are good blokes and I get on with them pretty well. They look after us and are more than happy to show us what to do if we do not fully understand something.”

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GOTAFE building team leader of operations, Jeff Gleeson is currently overseeing the moving in of all students and staff to their new home at the Goulburn Murray Trades Skills Centre (GMTSC) and ensuring that everything is in place and working the way it needs to work.

Jeff said, “By mid-September we will have had the majority of our apprentices in four to five times in the cabinet making and carpentry areas. By the end of September they should be feeling well at home with the new facility.”

Jeff enjoys the satisfaction of seeing an apprentice come in on their first day unsure of themselves and then at the end of four years, going out into the world quite capable tradespeople in their own right.

Jeff has been with GOTAFE for 15 years and enjoys combining his knowledge with that of his students and sending them out prepared for survival in the real world.

“It’s not about my way of learning, it’s about their way of learning,” Jeff said.

“Left-handed people do it different to right-handed people.

“They are all individuals, they all have their own learning styles, and they all want to achieve different things so you have to look at each student individually and see what their needs are for them to become a good student. Generally they have some sort of idea of where they want to be.

“I tell the student this is the way I do it. You will develop skills to suit your needs as you go along and that is your style of learning, the way you do it which is the best way for you,” Jeff said.

Implementing this style of learning has helped Jeff relate to his students, helping them blend two ideas together to achieve the ultimate outcome.

Jeff said when the students come from school, they are not quite adults and are looking for different styles of learning.

“Some of the students are amazed to see what skills they have got,” Jeff said.

“It is a matter of building their confidence and focusing on what they do well.”

Jeff believes by encouraging and offering them ideas, the students will improve their skills and develop more to help them along their way. No apprentice will come through without achieving.

“We do not fail,” Jeff said.

“We will make mistakes along the way but we will get you there in the end and I think that makes a difference.”

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Goulburn Murray Trades Skills Centre

Local businesses involved in Shepparton’s new training facility

CONSTRUCTING THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION… Crow Construction director, Mick Ciavarella said they were fortunate to win the tender for the project and be able to use 90 percent of local trades from the area.

Photo: Sharelle Jarvis.

THE investment in regional infrastructure has the extended benefit of opening up opportunities for individuals, businesses and industry within the projects geographic footprint. The Goulburn Murray Trades Skills Centre (GMTSC) project provided such opportunity when local Shepparton company, Crow Construction was awarded the tender for the build.

Local GOTAFE apprentices worked alongside industry experienced trades people during the construction of the new training facility, providing them with a sense of ownership and pride in what would essentially become their ‘trade school.’

Crow Construction director, Mick Ciavarella said they were fortunate to win the tender for the project and be able to use 90 percent of local trades from the area.

“It has been a great job for us and a great experience,” Mick said.

Mick said Vincent Crisp Architects had done a great job in designing something that is a trade type building.

“If you look at it from the street, it is just a nice big commercial building but when you walk in and see what they have done, you see how good it is,” Mick said.

“A lot of apprentices that go to school here have worked on this project which is good.”

A lot of hard work has gone into this project with highs and lows but at the end of the day Mick said they take great pride in the project and know that GOTAFE and the schools are very proud of what they have achieved to put a building together like this in Shepparton for the public to use.

GOTAFE facility manager, Neil Conrick believes the GMTSC is a great asset to Shepparton.

“We have a purpose built facility,” Neil said.

“It means that GOTAFE can provide the resources for a number of different partners, consortiums and local clients without having to duplicate systems.

We now have one lot of resources in one location, backed by the expertise of our trainers.”

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A BOOST FOR THE REGION… GOTAFE team leader of operations in Shepparton, Jeff Gleeson believes the new Goulburn Murray Trades Skills Centre is great for the region. Photo: Supplied.

New training facility for students GOTAFE team leader of operations in Shepparton, Jeff Gleeson has received positive remarks and responses from students to the new Goulburn Murray Trades Skills Centre facility.

“The purpose built workspaces are so much better and more pleasant to work in,” Jeff said.

“Everyone who comes in remarks on the environment, how bright it is and just how user friendly the layout is.”

The specialist facilities, generalist teaching areas and break-out spaces have been designed to allow for integrated formal and informal learning,

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enabling ease of access and movement between the types of learning activities offered. Break-out teaching and learning spaces enable a range of additional support services and skills reinforcement to be offered to students as well as an independent learning area where a team of students can work together on projects and take responsibility for their learning.

The bright colours on display throughout the building as well as open spaces and use of natural lighting allows users the opportunity to work in beautiful surrounds. Viewing platforms and windows allow trainers and visitors the chance to observe students at all times.

The building also houses environmental sustainability initiatives including rainwater harvesting for toilet flushing, landscaping irrigation and wash down

areas, energy efficient lighting systems, high level windows for night purging and sun protection to all windows and solar performing glazing.

“We currently have about 92 carpentry apprentices and 50 cabinet making apprentices as well as our VCE and VCAL school students and by the end of September, they will have all been through here and should be feeling well at home with our new facility,” Jeff said.

Jeff believes the Goulburn Murray Trades Skills Centre is great for the region.

“It gives us the opportunity to showcase our apprentices and what they can do and get them to achieve better than what they have been doing,” Jeff said.

“It is a win for everyone, not only for the apprentices, Goulburn Murray schools and GOTAFE. At any time any business can come in here, stroll through and look through the many glass windows and see what the apprentices are doing. It is bright, it’s out there.”