A key element of the Year 9 curriculum involves study in the disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics (STEAM). This week, Year 9 students participated in an immersive STEAM experience on campus at Casey Tech School, where they had the opportunity to learn about vital skills needed for careers of the future.

Mr Darren Martin, Head of Secondary, says Casey Tech provides a fantastic facility that engages students to solve real-world problems.

“We are thrilled to be in partnership with Casey Tech from the beginning as a partner school,” he says.

“Students return to campus energised to solve problems with critical thinking and analysis, realising that workplaces face the same issues as they do when learning in the classroom.”

For this year's group, the challenges included developing solutions to two real-world problems that are being explored in the city of Casey: developing a rehabilitation product through automation and finding an alternative, cleaner and greener solution to manage waste. Year 9 students worked in teams to brainstorm, develop creative solutions and present their ideas to industry experts.

Students prototyped an exoskeleton, safety headwear for construction site workers, and an app to easily diagnose physical ailments in response to developing rehabilitation products. Other groups developed a recycling mechanism for rubbish and a waterwheel in response to finding alternative solutions to manage waste.

The pitch experience provided students with the opportunity to speak about their prototype, answer questions and incorporate further feedback into their ideas for continued improvement.

This experience equips students with critical workplace skills, developing confidence, communication, innovation and initiative.