Southport SHS Links With MatCam for $26,500
Southport State High School’s Industrial Design and Technology Department has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the National Australia Bank’s Schools First Awards to further develop its Applied Design course based on Computer Aided Design / Computer Assisted Manufacturing (CAD/CAM).
The Applied Design Course is aimed at Year 11 students designing and manufacturing picnic tables and chairs through a variety of learning experiences to develop their knowledge and understanding for manufacturing production techniques.
A key ingredient to the success of the initiative is the partnership developed with local CAD/CAM manufacturer MatCam. The partnership with MatCam has provided Southport SHS students with access to equipment and expertise that is difficult to access at a school level. It has allowed the students to visit a manufacturing facility and witness first-hand its operation, talk with the experts and enable their designs to be manufactured using the latest technology.
The students have thoroughly enjoyed the challenges of the course and enjoyed making their first project, a flat-packed timber toolbox. The skills that the students developed in this activity will hold them in good stead for manufacturing the picnic tables and chairs.
The Applied Design Course was initially supported by Manufacturing Skills Queensland through the Queensland Government funded High Schools Manufacturing Links Program enabling Southport SHS to position itself to apply for the Schools First funding.