Monthly Archives: September 2019

A weld of difference

Developing their knowledge and skills in the metal fabrication industry, Year 11 Plumbing and Metals & Engineering students have successfully completed a Welding Project. Devised and overseen by Century Engineering, the project delivers the skills required for students to competently weld to the Australian Standard.

Thank you to Andrew Sinclair from Century Engineering for presenting awards to our outstanding students in this project. Congratulations to Jordan Ranasinghe awarded Best Theory, to Charlotte Simmons for Best Practical, and to Christopher Skelton Best Overall. All winners received a Cigweld welding helmet from Century Engineering.

Information Technology teacher Mr Brad Sheridan said many teachers, trainers and mentors were involved in the project, overseeing and assisting students learning new skills.

“The major component of this project was to complete a fillet weld with a theory component completed in the students’ Cross-Disciplinary Studies class,” Mr Sheridan said.

“John Knop from Century Engineering was vital to this project in teaching our students the practical skills in achieving correct weld size and shape. Thank you to Andrew Sinclair for overseeing the whole project and continuing to support our students in learning and welding safety in this industry.”

As part of the project, students attended several site visits, including to Century Engineering, to Intertek to have their welds tested, and to GPA to look at the design and insurance process.

St Patrick’s Technical College collaborates with Defence contractor Century Engineering as part of the Northern Adelaide P-TECH Australia learning program. Century Engineering is a leading manufacturing company with key capabilities in manufacturing, general engineering services, water/water reuse solutions and new machining capabilities.

Through the program the College is partnered with defence industry, working in partnership with several businesses to bridge the gap between school and the workforce. The overarching aim is to build the capabilities and technical skills young people need to succeed in school, further education and work.

Engaging in several projects throughout the year, the program challenges students’ skills they would require for their chosen industry and provides high school students with the foundation skills they will need to be part of the Defence industry in Adelaide.

Old Scholar wins Trainee of the Year

St Patrick’s Technical College is celebrating a win for Old Scholar Sarah Mills crowned Trainee of the Year at the 2019 SA Training Awards.

Class of 2018 Hair & Beauty graduate, Sarah completed her Certificate III in Beauty Services with TAFE SA and now works full-time at Brazilian Beauty North Adelaide with her focus on making people feel confident in their own skin.

Sarah sees her work as a steppingstone to her goal of becoming a dermatologist. She would like to help people cope with skin conditions and come up with solutions that aren’t too complex or harsh on patients’ skin.

Held on Friday 6 September at the Adelaide Convention Centre, the night celebrated and recognised quality, excellence and innovation in training. Hosted by the Training and Skills Commission, the annual Awards are the State’s peak awards for Vocational Education and Training (VET).

Minister for Innovation and Skills David Pisoni congratulated the six winners in the Individual Awards.

“I have no doubt that many of these young people will be owning their own businesses and hiring apprentices and trainees of their own in the years to come.”

Sarah will now represent South Australia on the national stage at the Australian Training Awards hosted in Brisbane on Thursday 21 November.

St Patrick’s Technical College was a finalist at this year’s awards in the VET Innovation for Schools Award category. Year 12 Metals and Engineering student Tayla Carll was also a finalist for the School-based Apprentice of the Year Award. Tayla is currently studying a Certificate III in Engineering – Fabrication Trade while an apprentice at Stratco.

Nearly 1000 St Patrick’s Technical College students have commenced apprenticeships/traineeships in South Australia.

A VEX Robotics win for StPatsTech

VEX Robotics Comp_Tournament 1The VEX Robotics Teams have taken out first and second places in Tournament 1 of the VEX Robotics Competition held at Pedare Christian College, Golden Grove.

Competing in the Year 9-12 VEX VRC competition, the Year 11 & 12 Information Technology (IT) students are ahead of the game and have qualified for the National Tournament to be held in Adelaide in December.

Nine teams fought it out in the ring in the world’s largest and fastest-growing middle school and high school global robotics program. VEX Competitions bring STEM skills to life by tasking teams of students with designing and building a robot to play against other teams in a game-based engineering challenge.

Under the great mentorship of IT teacher Brad Sheridan, the wins by the College’s two teams – Paddy’s Cafe and Team 2 – was even more significant for the College proving how spectacular the IT students and staff are by winning two years in a row!

Discovering a world of opportunities at BAE Systems Australia

Students in Year 11 Electro-Technology and Year 11 and 12 Information Technology visited BAE Systems Australia, Edinburgh Park, to expand on their understanding of defence solutions and advanced technologies and to discover the opportunities available through skilled training.

BAE Systems is Australia’s most versatile defence and security company working closely with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and security customers by delivering innovative solutions.

Students were extremely excited to commence their visit with the opportunity to see various areas of the manufacturing facility. After an initial introduction, students moved into three groups visiting areas related to electronic systems, advanced manufacturing, IT and cybersecurity and the JORN project, which relates to the students’ own Remote Target Detection project developed by BAE Systems.

Employees in each of the areas were very informative and we appreciate the time they took to explain their role within the company expressed with great warmth and insight.

The tour concluded with a Q&A.

Students thoroughly enjoyed the tour and felt privileged to have visited BAE Systems. They realise the various possible career pathways available within the company.

Thank you to Lou Pivato and Sharyn Richter for organising the visit. St Patrick’s Technical College is honoured to work in partnership with BAE Systems, together focussing on enhancing educational opportunities and encouraging students to pursue a career in the industry. We look forward to working together in future opportunities.

Bradley Sheridan | Head of P-TECH