Wednesday kicked off the Inspiring Apprentices Careers in Construction event held in Blacktown City Council welcoming 180 high school students from across 15 schools. The event was a fantastic opportunity for students to liaise with industry-wide apprentices to gain insight into the day-to-day responsibilities of different trades.
The careers networking event opened with welcome address from Blacktown Deputy Mayor Tony Bleasdale to year 10, 11 and 12 students about his own experiences as a former apprentice in construction and how it enabled him to gain invaluable wisdom that was a crucial learning curve for his career.
Industry representatives included A.G. Coombs, NECA Training and Apprenticeships, LendLease, Transport NSW, Systems Connect, Master Plumbers, Talent Manager, HIA Apprentices, Infra Works, Triaxle Consulting, Visual Connections, Training Services NSW, My Gateway, MBA Education Centre, 1300Apprentice, TAFE NSW, LNA Master Landscapers Association, Statim Yaga, Perfect Bathroom Kitchen, Sarino Russo Apprenticeships, Sydney Metro, West Connex, and RACCA NSW.
RACCA NSW and A.G. Coombs were onsite to represent the refrigeration and air conditioning sector. Two apprentices from A.G. Coombs, Lauren Campbell and Amber Perett-Jones, did an excellent job in giving the high school students and career advisors a run-through of their career and education journeys.
The careers speed networking involved tables of students listening to the refrigeration and air conditioning representatives talked about their experiences in our trade, and after 8 minutes the representatives would move to the next table. This system worked well thanks to the efforts of A.G. Coombs staff Learning and Development manager Claire Bennett, apprentices Amber Perott-Jones and Lauren Campbell. RACCA carried out the coordination for our industry.
Overall, the day was worthwhile and by the end we had highlighted our industry to 180+ students. RACCA looks forward to continued involvement with Inspiring the Future and other industry bodies to give school children further exposure and insight into this trade.