Croc Skills Try-A-Trade is a project that introduces students to a variety of trades and jobs in a practical and engaging way.

Skilled tradespeople from the community come together at one venue to work with the students in small groups. They teach the students a skill that is hands-on and that illustrates what their job is like. For example, students work with a plumber to change a washer and clear a trap. The tradespeople also talk to the students about pathways they can take to enter that job and the need to stay at school to ensure they have the necessary skills to take up the education and training. After the event, the students receive a booklet with information about each of the jobs they tried, local apprentice profiles, and local contact details for training programs.

Croc Skills prompts Year 8 & 9 students to start thinking about what they might like to do as a job. Taking the traditional careers market one step further, at a Croc Skills event, students get to actually try each of the jobs on offer, to get a first hand taste of what each job involves and learn some real skills associated with each occupation.

Croc Skills was pioneered in 2001 & 2002 in Moree NSW, and Port Augusta SA, and has now become a successful and popular part of the Croc Festivals around the country. It is a model that can be easily replicated by schools and communities nationwide.

If you are looking for something to engage the young people in your area that is fun and interesting and gets them thinking about what job they might want to do, have a look around this site and consider organising a Croc Skills event in your community.

In the following pages you can have a look at the variety of Croc Skills projects around the country, find out what is involved in organising this kind of event and download a practical resource manual for the project.

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