Faculty of
Business and Technical Studies
VET: Industrial Skills

Industrial Skills

 Industrial Skills is a Year 11 and 12 Vocational Education subject which gives students an opportunity to work towards a qualification in the furniture industry while at school.

Students who complete the course have already completed the equivalent of a prevocational course in Cabinet Making, French Polishing or Wood Machining. Projects undertaken during the course are beautiful pieces of furniture with a high degree of design input from the students.

Initial projects are set but as the course progresses students contribute more to the design of the projects until the final project which a chair which is totally of their own design.

The Seniors of 2002 have produced very interesting and aesthetically pleasing chairs. Among them are some exceptional designs. The Year 11 students have progressed well, producing furniture pieces of a very high standard.

While only a few students have taken their furniture course further at TAFE or in an apprenticeship most gain a great deal from the skills gained and their involvement in problem solving and designing. These skills, once gained, are never lost.

FURNITURE STREAM

This is a Board Registered Subject, which does not count towards an O.P., but will appear on your senior certificate. Additionally Industrial Skills has embedded modules from the National Furnishing Industry courses, which will give credit beyond school into the TAFE sector for any boy who wishes to pursue further studies in this direction.

The Furnishing Industry is a diverse industry which is made up of 15 sectors which include: All forms of domestic and commercial furniture making, Kitchens/Bathrooms, Shop fitting, Soft Furnishings, Upholstery, Picture framing, Floor coverings, French Polishing and Interior Decoration.

Students who undertake to study Furnishing modules in year 11 and 12 will receive credit towards any recognised training program undertaken in the future in the Furnishing industry. Students who become a trainee or apprentice will already have completed part of their training which, is nationally recognised and portable across the various industry sectors. Because students are participating in industry recognised training they will develop skills and experiences which are relevant to the industry enhancing a student's employment prospects. Through the workplace learning component of the course students will be learning from real life experiences.

The Certificate Level 1 Furnishing course consists of 200 hours. There are six core modules, which all students must undertake. In addition students then undertake a furniture stream. This stream requires students to complete a further five modules. Students can also complete further elective modules in wood machining and cabinet making that are part of the certificate 2 and 3 level. This is a Competency Based training course where students are assessed on the skills and knowledge they acquire throughout the course. These competencies are largely acquired through a variety of projects completed in the workshop.

Course Outline: Certificate Level 1 Furnishing

The course will be conducted predominantly in class time with students required to attend one out of school hours session probably on a Monday afternoon.

Students who choose this subject but choose five other Board subjects still qualify for an OP and also have the added advantage of gaining credit for courses they may enrol in, in the future.

The Furniture stream has been chosen because it offers students who have shown an interest and aptitude for Shop A an opportunity to continue to succeed in this area through Years 11 and 12. Though this subject is a continuation of Shop A, students can enrol in the course without having done Shop A.

Assessment of knowledge, practical applications and skills are achieved through competency based assessment and the normal formal assessment. Students with strong skills or interest in this area will be advantaged by doing this subject.

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