Advanced Manufacturing South East Queensland Future Skills School Program Off to a Great Start

In July 2023, the Makers Empire team travelled to Queensland to deliver professional development and training to 21 schools in the South East region that are taking part in a pioneering STEM program. Following on from a successful project in 2022, the 2023 Advanced Manufacturing South East Queensland Futures Skills School Program comprises three projects: a primary school project, a junior secondary schools project, and a senior secondary schools project.

This project is a collaboration between Queensland Government’s Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water, the Gold Coast Manufacturing Hub and Makers Empire. It supports skills development in the Queensland Advanced Manufacturing industry and aligns with the:

Depending on which project schools are participating in, the project scope includes:

Students use design thinking processes to solve a school or community-based problem using 3D technologies
Students become familiar with the advanced manufacturing industry including the role that 3D printing plays in the industry
Teachers or students to undertake industry immersion and future skills and career awareness days
Teachers attend industry site tour with guest speakers from the industry.
Students complete a custom manufacturing and careers challenge course
Students to use appropriate technologies and manufacturing skills to develop prototypes and products
Students to identify and solve a manufacturing problem, develop a business case and present to an industry judging panel at showcase day.

The primary schools are: The Southport School, Coomera State School, Josiah College, Merrimac State School, St Vincent’s Primary School, Guardian Angels Primary School, Hillcrest Christian College, and Worongary State School.

The junior secondary schools are: Elanora State High School, Merrimac State High School, Trinity Lutheran College, Josiah College, St Andrews Lutheran College, Coombabah State High School, Benowa State High School, Flagstone State Community College, & Tamborine Mountain College.

The secondary schools are: Elanora State High School, Merrimac State High School, Trinity Lutheran College, Palm Beach Currumbin State High School, St Andrews Lutheran College, Australian Industry Trade College and The Busy Schools Southport.

Industry Immersion Development for Teachers

During term three of 2023, participating teachers took part in a program comprising Makers Empire’s Learning by Design course for teachers and industry site visits.

During the industry immersion development days at TAFE Robina Campus, teachers heard from guest speakers from the industry including Bob Myers at Neumann Contractors, Bonnie Hunter at Telwater, Tenille Reilly at BUSY Sisters, and Professor Stefanie Feih at Griffith University’s ADaPT.

Teachers also took part in Learning by Design activities where they learned about Design Thinking, how to use Makers Empire’s 3D design app and Teacher Dashboard and their provided 3D printers.

As part of an industry immersion day, teachers also visited Gilmore Space Technologies, one of Australia’s pioneer New Space companies and the leading provider of Eris launch vehicles and GSat satellite platforms. This site visit provided teachers with real-world and industry linkages to apply in student learning and introduced teachers to the world-class advanced manufacturing capability present on the Gold Coast.

Over term three, the students will complete STEM-focused units of work. The schools will then come together in term four for a student-led showcase to celebrate and share their learning and present their solutions and products to a panel of judges.