The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and Makers Empire continued their impactful partnership to introduce South Australian students to the world of construction through the 2025 Careers Under Construction program. This initiative gave students a chance to explore the construction industry by solving real-world problems using design thinking and 3D technologies.
Fourteen high schools across SA took part in 2025, including:
Educators received 2 days of professional development through Makers Empire’s Learning by Design program, gaining practical skills in:
They also connected with builders, project managers, and construction companies to enrich their knowledge of construction career pathways.
Thanks to industry experts Andrew Marshall (Marshall Brougham), Chris Blowes (Born to Build) and, Litsa Adamou (House Inspect Australia) about the incredible opportunities available in the construction industry. Teachers were also treated to a special visit to the Adelaide Market redevelopment and guided on a tour of the site by Nick Anderson, Project Manager for Multiplex.
The Careers in Construction Showcase Day began with welcome speeches followed by an expo-style showcase of the construction-themed projects students had worked on with input from industry partners. Students took turns both presenting their projects to invited judges from the construction industry, teachers, students and invited guests and then visiting other booths and asking questions and providing feedback on other students’ projects. Students also voted on the best project via a ballot-style competition.
Many thanks to our judges who visited each booth and assessed the students’ work: Sarah Tinkham from the SA Department for Education, Louise Murphy from Catholic Education South Australia, Nick Soulsby from Adelaide Training and Employment Centre, Quentin Sickerdick from North East Development Agency, Amanda Hewer from PEER, and Cass Green from Master Builders Association.
Deciding on the winners certainly wasn’t easy, as there were so many inspired, innovative solutions to choose from.
After the expo, the guests heard from guest speakers, including Sarah Andrews MP, Holly Willcox CEO of CITB, and Toni Hartley Director Workforce Skills and Training from CITB.
After the judges had conferred, the winners were announced:
Students at Samaritan College in South Australia created the Big Dog Door Lifter to allow for the hanging of doors faster and with only one person. Well done Madi, Fletcher, Ashton, Kien, and of their teacher, James Baverstock!
Check out their winning project in this awesome video provided by the school.
