The Australian Technical College Pilbara (ATCP) is an initiative led by the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia and includes industry partners Woodside, the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association, Chevron, BHP Billiton Iron Ore, Pilbara Iron (Rio Tinto) and the Western Australian Department of Education and Training.
The college is part of a Federal Government-funded program of 25 such facilities around Australia, which utilise the school-based new apprenticeship program allowing students to combine their HSC studies with a part-time apprenticeship.
Claire Thomas, Australian Technical College (ATC) industry facilitator with the Chamber of Minerals and Energy, explained the college will operate as a no-fee non-government school and will offer Year 11 and 12 students a program that integrates a WA certificate of education, with courses drawn from TAFE vocational and technical training towards a Certificate III apprenticeship.
As a result, students will pursue a mix of academic and technical subjects, while also working with the employer in their apprenticeship on a part-time basis.
"It's a real apprenticeship but it's part-time, and Pilbara TAFE will help in delivering the apprenticeship training," Thomas said. "We would expect a student to be part-way through their apprenticeship by the time they finish their HSC and that they would then move into their apprenticeship full-time."
According to the ATC program, combining the HSC and apprenticeship also gives students more options for further study down the track while encouraging suitable students to pursue apprenticeships. Apprentices traditionally have begun training at age 16 after completing the Year 10 leaving certificate, or after their high school studies have been completed.
"With the change of legislation to allow school-based and part-time apprenticeships, it's allowing industry to access students in years 11 and 12 and indenture them into apprenticeships. This will enable fully-qualified tradespeople to be come out sooner," Thomas said.
The Pilbara college will provide courses in recognised skill shortages in the area.
"Initially, we'll be offering metals, building construction and civil construction, and we'll be moving into process control, commercial cookery, and automotive. We're looking at targeted skills," Thomas said.
"Part of the agreement with the commencement of the college is that the apprenticeships and trades on offer had to be designated as skill shortage areas. Of that list, industry has significant requirements in all of those areas.
"We're only opening in semester two in Hedland and Karratha, and we're anticipating at the maximum 50 students. That will expand over the course of the next three to four years, but we're not expecting mass numbers. We're not here to replace TAFE."
Campuses will then be established in Roebourne and Onslow in 2008 and Tom Price and Newman in 2009.
The role of industry in the college would also be extremely important, Thomas said.
"The industry partners are on the board of directors and will be guiding the strategy and the operational aspects as they would with any school. They'll be involved in moulding and ensuring the students and the courses on offer will meet the industry requirements."
However, Thomas was quick to point out that the students will not be apprenticed only to the ACTP's industry partners.
"The ATCP is to support all industry in the Pilbara," she said.
"All industry will be asked to be involved. It's critical that they're involved, and especially also in indenturing the students in the ATCP."
"The ATCP is about creating a college that will work in harmony and collaboration with the existing educational facilities, local schools and the Pilbara TAFE, but also offering opportunity to create and innovate in world's best practices at the same time.
"And of course it's also about addressing skill shortages in the area as well."
