Case Study

Short courses training are offered to prepare for the largest engineering design competition in the world.

Chisholm alumni Scott Wordley now works with Monash University students in the university’s Faculty of Engineering. He supports a large number of special project teams that compete in national and global engineering competitions and initiatives – and these teams are upskilling at Chisholm to get practical hands-on Monash University logoengineering skills.

Customer

Associate Professor Scott Wordley, Director of Student Teams & Clubs, Faculty of Engineering, Monash University

Background

Scott Wordley studied courses at Chisholm while also undertaking his undergraduate engineering studies at Monash University, where he is still employed today.

For over 20 years, Scott has encouraged Monash University engineering students to do the same. They undertake Chisholm short courses to develop their hands-on engineering skills. In the past, they’ve also studied units from Certificate III and Certificate IV qualifications.

Originally the training was for the Monash Motorsport team, a student-run team that competes in the Formula SAE competition where they build and race small open wheel race cars. In recent years the training has expanded and scaled up so that other student teams have the same opportunity.

The challenge

Scott was looking for a training partner with specific skills in manual machining, fabrication and CNC machining.

“We need a training partner with good capabilities that could train large numbers of students in those areas,” explained Scott. “Chisholm met those criteria, was willing to work with us to fine-tune what we want from the courses, and could deliver the content we required.

“As 30% to 40% of our students are female, we also needed a partner with expertise in working with female students and a more diverse cohort.“

Daniel Prins, Workforce Solutions Business Partner at Chisholm, collaborated with Scott to plan and deliver the training. He explained that the biggest challenge for Chisholm was the redesign and development of the program to suit Monash’s specific needs.

“We also had to fit within Monash students’ packed schedule,” he said. “Together we identified that the requirement was for a training program that could run in the evenings or during the day.”

The solution

Daniel and his team visited Scott at Monash University so they could get a better idea of the types of  machinery and equipment used by the students.

“Working with Monash, we mapped out a minimum viable training product,” said Scott. “Our trainers customised a training solution that prioritised Monash University learning needs and fit their students’ budgets.”

Chisholm’s mechanical team, led by Education Manager Brad Knight, took feedback from their meeting with Monash and put together an outline for the training program. The program was further refined through ongoing conversations around Monash’s requirements and their preferred outcomes.

Results

The results of this project have been very positive for both Monash and Chisholm.

“The Chisholm industry short courses have been fine-tuned with exactly the content we need. Combined with Chisholm’s excellent facilities and quality staff, this is a great outcome for us,” noted Scott. “We have access to well-maintained machines and a training team that’s enthusiastic, knowledgeable, friendly and can deal with a diverse range of students.”

“The program has been a major success,” added Daniel. “We’ve been able to offer evening classes as well as full day condensed courses, depending on Monash’s requirements. Importantly, the training program ensures that Monash students can operate safely in their on-campus Makerspace facilities, enabling them to contribute fully in their team activities.

“The continued growth and development of the relationship between Chisholm and Monash highlights the benefits of both systems of education. Our project is proof that TAFE and university can work together to provide students with an optimal training experience.”

The plan is to have about 200 Monash students a year undertaking Chisholm’s industry courses.

To learn more contact an Industry Specialist.