CY O’CONNOR Institute recently held its annual Big TAFE Check-out open day for all high school students in the Wheatbelt district.
The aim of the day was to provide students with an insight into an adult learning environment and to make them aware of the wide range of opportunities the vocational education and training sector can provide.
During the open day, students got the opportunity to interact with lecturing staff who specialise in different areas of delivery.
Students took the opportunity to get an overview about the different qualifications the institute has to offer.
They were also able to take a tour of the grounds and appreciate the variety of facilities the Northam Campus is equipped with.
The open day attracted 55 year 10 students from different schools including Northam Senior High School, St Joseph’s Catholic School and Clontarf Aboriginal College.
The students started the day with morning tea and a welcome speech from training director Kim MacLeod.
After the students and staff had been welcomed, it was time to take a tour of the Northam campus and experience hands on activities within the different departments.
CY O’Connor Institute engineering Lecturer Peter Forbes showed off his fabricating and welding skills by making a flower out of metals which was later raffled and taken home by one of the students.
Things started to spark at the electrotechnology station where lecturer Tom Newsome presented three different ways electricity could be made.
Students then got the insight of a day in the life of a nurse by nursing lecture Bronwyn Bennett in the institute’s fully equipped simulated ward.
Students took each other’s blood pressure, oxygen saturation and learnt the very basic principles of CPR.
The day was wrapped up with a sausage sizzle which gave students a chance to socialise on the grass.
The open day was another great success and the students who attended were looking forward to a broader range of options, now they are aware of what can be achieved in the vocational education and training sector.
