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Mahurangi College will open a building academy next year, which aims to transform the teaching of practical construction and technical skills to students in Year 12 and 13.
Assistant principal Jon Blyth says traditionally, technology education has been about a student working on their own to produce, say, a small artefact or piece of furniture.
But the building academy will educate students to work in teams, which will compel them to work together and consider “the big picture” to complete a project.
They will be required to break down major tasks into smaller, more manageable ones and critically think and plan ahead to ensure each task can be completed on time and in the right sequence.
Mahurangi College has employed a new teacher, Adrian Cooling, to head the academy, due to open next year, after he successfully set up similar programmes in two south Auckland schools.
It’s anticipated initial projects might include the construction of new seating and pergolas in school grounds and, as the academy expands its scope, move on to bigger things like the construction of classrooms or portable homes, possibly in conjunction with a non-governmental organisation such as Habitat for Humanity.
Ideally, students will be involved in all aspects of the project, developing skills in areas such as brick laying, plumbing, glazing and electrical work.
Mr Blyth says the idea for the academy developed out of consultation with industry, employers and the wider community.
He says employers felt students coming out of school lacked the right skills to be able to effectively contribute to their industry from an early age.
This was especially true of so-called “soft skill” sets such as communication and teamwork, which are essential in the workplace.
“Employers don’t necessarily need them to work out a mathematical equation, but do need them to be able to work in a collaborative environment, problem solve and think critically,” Mr Blyth says.
Mr Blyth says taking the building academy option will count as taking two conventional subjects.
This means a student choosing the academy will have twice as much time to devote to academy work and will be able to secure twice as many credits as he or she would be able to in other subject options.
Ultimately, Mr Blyth hopes the building academy course will operate entirely according to its own timetable. This would mean students could devote several days to projects or, say, electrical or plumbing workshops and fit the rest of their school work around these commitments.
He says the school is hoping to build strong partnerships with industry players who are willing to share their know how with students.
Initially, the building academy will be located in the school’s existing engineering workshops, but it’s hoped eventually students will move to a custom-made facility.
“We are trying to be more creative and not allow traditional school systems to hold students back,” Mr Blyth says.
