When the concept of a railway running through the grounds of Ellenbrook Christian College (ECC) became a reality in 2019, some raised concerns that it may have a detrimental impact on the ECC campus.
In fact, quite the opposite has proved true.
The selection of MELconnx (Morley to Ellenbrook Line Connects) led by Laing O’Rourke Australia Construction as the preferred proponent to design and connect this rail line has resulted in an excellent opportunity for ECC’s secondary female students.
The shovels don’t start digging on the oversized Ellenbrook oval for some time yet. However, the MELconnx team led by Alliance Manager Mr Hudson Lun has already begun the process of working with the College.
The STEM plus program (STEM is the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) was unveiled to the College leadership this week as part of the course preparation which will begin Term 1, 2022. The program centres around educating and empowering a group of Year 9 students (up to 40 girls may be eligible) in STEM-related applications and scenarios that will inspire students who choose to pursue careers in the construction industry.
The course will run for two years following the Year 9 group into Year 10 (2022 and 2023), and selected students will learn about the construction industry, engineering, change management, communications and other parts of a vocation that has historically been male-dominated.
Ellenbrook Christian College Mr Mike Pitman was overjoyed that students would be educated in industry-specific training and opportunities as early as next year:
“This really is a brilliant idea. These are great careers for our students, and there is a lot more to this industry than we may have previously surmised. This program is specifically for girls, and the opportunities that this initiative will bring are once-in-a-lifetime for these young ladies.”
This course is currently being run in Adelaide by Laing O’Rourke Australia Construction, and SCEA Chief Executive Officer Dr Graeme Cross is keen to see Ellenbrook’s chosen cohort exchanging notes with their South Australian counterparts:
“I believe that the selection of Ellenbrook Christian College students marks the first time that a co-educational school has been chosen for this program, and I believe it is a wonderful opportunity to open minds, broaden pathways and really explore these opportunities for tomorrow’s graduates. We would be keen to link up with the Adelaide participants at some stage and touch base with their progress too.”
Stay tuned for more details due to be released later in 2021.