Briefing at the community Hub

The event was the fourth in a series of Career Taster’s Programs, run bi-annually in partnership with South West Regional TAFE. These programs are designed to allow local students to explore what it means to be working on a project like BORR and to discover what post-school pathways into the civil construction industry may be available to them.

The day began with a health and safety briefing, as well as a visitor-to-BORR induction, at the Community Hub in Bunbury. Next came an introduction to the construction industry to give students a greater appreciation of the wide range of career opportunities.

Students then travelled to the Collie River where they learned about the Aboriginal heritage monitoring that has been taking place throughout the project’s construction. They also took part in a mock heritage artifact search activity.

It was then time to learn all about the bridges and other structures designed and built along the alignment. This took place at the Boyanup-Picton Road overpass. It was clear to the students why this particular bridge is referred to as the Mega-Bridge.

By this time, the group built up a pretty mega appetite which was just as well, as a barbeque lunch was being prepared and was ready and waiting for them.

 Learning about Aboriginal heritage monitoring

 Child Side School students onsite

After lunch, the students heard from a BORR team member about his own story becoming an engineer to help them understand the broad range of experiences and potential career opportunities in the industry.

The rest of the afternoon consisted of learning about what it takes to construct an actual road, complete with students taking part in a sand compaction test.

Next it was time for machine exploration with participants learning not just about the different equipment and vehicles used on the project, but also how to forge a career in machinery operation. They got a chance to hop into a machine and try it out for themselves, which—according to the feedback from students—was far and away the biggest highlight.

 
 Just some of the fascinating facts the Child Side School’s students learned included:

• There are more than 72 different roles on the BORR project.

• The Urban Design Strategy, i.e., the artwork on the road infrastructure, was developed with input from community focus and Aboriginal heritage advisory groups, as well as public community feedback.

• There are seven components / layers for roads on BORR:

• 26 Aboriginal Elders worked in heritage monitoring during the clearing processes of the construction project.

The BORR project would like to thank South Regional TAFE and Jobs and Skills WA, as well as the many members of the team on our side who helped pulling the program and day together.

 Participants of the fourth Career Taster’s Program