Building student interest in construction down under

17 Jun 2023 | The Star

Through partnerships with local and regional high schools such as Kanahooka High School (Wollongong) and Cathwest Innovation High School (Emu Plains), Gamuda has successfully identified and selected participants to undertake SBATs, including a number of female participants to undergo training in civil construction.

Gamuda’s presence in Australia influencing students to embark on a career in construction

As a major player in the Malaysian construction industry, Gamuda Berhad’s commitment to training and upskilling its workers and contractors – even those not directly employed – is well known.

Its short, medium, and long-term education, training and development programmes include the Gamuda Scholarship, with a strong emphasis on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects, and apprenticeship initiatives such as the Gamuda Plant Operator School (GPOS), KVMRT Safety Training Centre, and Tunnelling Training Academy (TTA) – which have produced sustainable results for more than 27 years.

To date, these training and development programmes have produced over 560 scholars and nurtured nearly 94,000 trainees.

Now with a solid presence in Australia where Gamuda has landed a number of tunnelling and infrastructure projects, the company and its local partners are in a unique position to influence school students there to consider construction as a viable career through the country’s School Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships (SBATs), amid reports of a high number of young Australians withdrawing from apprenticeships nationwide.

The SBATs in New South Wales offer high school students the chance to pursue their desired careers while completing their Higher School Certificate (HSC). It is available to students in Year 10, 11 and 12 and is a programme that combines paid work, formal training, and attending school.

SBATs provide a practical and effective way for students to gain hands-on experience, skills and academic achievements simultaneously – setting them up for a promising future in their desired field.

Gamuda Scholarship

“Since its inception, the Gamuda Scholarship has awarded close to 50% of its scholarships to female students, who have gone on to pursue careers as engineers and architects at Gamuda, with some currently serving as executive directors,” says Gamuda Engineering managing director Justin Chin Jing Ho.

“We have found that scholarships with a strong emphasis on STEM are a proven method of creating a pipeline of future female employees.

“Gamuda has been diligently establishing partnerships with local schools and training organisations in Western Sydney, a targeted growth area, to connect with young people there and demonstrate what a career in construction entails.

“One way we have done that is through the SBATs programme, which has been designed to encourage more young people to enter the industry.

“There are five SBATs engaged, all employed directly through Gamuda Australia, with the programme running approximately 12 to 18 months,” he says.

Drop in apprentices

Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) reported on May 17 this year that almost 10,000 on-the-job trainees and apprentices from the state of New South Wales dropped out of their jobs in the third quarter of 2022 – the highest level in a decade.

The SMH report cited University of Sydney labour market economist Professor John Buchanan, who said “research had found the churn rate among apprentices had stood between 30% and 70% for decades, depending on the field, largely due to the variability of the quality of training provided during an apprenticeship”.

“The number of New South Wales students who opted out of their trainee or apprenticeship early rose to 9,955 in the July to September quarter last year, the highest number since 2013, according to the latest data from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research,” said the SMH report, which added commencements also fell from 12,665 in 2012 to just 6,905 in the latest quarter.

In April, the Australian government released its Apprenticeship Support Services Consultation, a report whereby it detailed moves to better match prospective apprentices’ academic ability for the roles they are most suited for.

Other suggestions include providing these young people with mentors so that the number of dropouts can be reduced.

The SMH report cited the Global Apprenticeship Network CEO Gary Workman, who said: “Students had signed up to trades they were not suited to and to combat that, we’re really keen on giving young people a chance to explore multiple career options before they make a decision.”

Changing students’ mindset

Gamuda’s presence in Australia made a difference for at least one teenage girl in New South Wales: sixteen-year-old Issabella Sinclair reconsidered her apprenticeship after attending a career open day.

Issabella is a student at the CathWest Innovation College in Mount Druitt, Sydney – a place where HSC students attend three days a week under the school curriculum.

Other than working towards their HSC, they have to spend one day a week as a trainee at a workplace to learn on the job.

Issabella started an electrical apprenticeship at school in year 10. She found it repetitive and unsatisfying.

“It was the same thing every single day. Basically, all I was doing was the AC wiring and switchboards,” she said before someone suggested she try civil construction.

“I went to an open day at one of the CBD Metro tunnels, and that was it from there. I just knew I wanted to do civil construction.

“As soon as I started, it clicked,” she said in the SMH report.

What’s evident is that good presentations and interactive exhibits can persuade young people to consider construction as a career, especially when disseminated to relevant stakeholders such as technical and vocational schools.

“We are pleased to know that Gamuda’s presence in Australia has brought in dividends large and small,” says Chin in response to this encouraging development.

“As we look to expand in Australia, we are gratified that we have presented the construction industry in a positive light wherever we operate from – on home ground or elsewhere.”

Projects Down Under

Gamuda Australia secured three major projects in 2022 – the Sydney Metro West-Western Tunnelling Package, the Coffs Harbour Bypass, and the M1 Raymond Terrace extension.

In February, Gamuda Australia entered a binding agreement to acquire Downer’s Australian Transport Projects (DTP) Division from Downer EDI Ltd.

Gamuda’s education and training initiatives

Gamuda Scholarship (1996)

An educational programme that guarantees graduates full-time employment upon completion of their intended course.
Number of graduates/trainees: More than 560 Gamuda Plant Operator School (1997)
Malaysia’s only private crane operator training academy. GPOS was established to standardise the country’s crane and earthmoving plant operations.
Number of graduates/trainees: 42,000 (various industries)

Tunnelling Training Academy (2011)

Provides training in the highly specialised tunnelling industry. Siemens, Bosch Rexroth, and Herrenknecht German experts collaborated on the training courses.
Number of graduates/trainees: 1,500

KVMRT Safety Training Centre (2015)

The centre has certified many in the Construction Skills Certification Scheme, Master Trainer Programme, and Safety Performance Assessment Scheme.
Number of graduates/trainees: 50,000