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::: Success Factors

  • A voluntary Project Manager with an educational background and vast experience in running similar, successful, projects ensured immediate credibility with the schools, TAFE and the local council and therefore the immediate take-up of the project over a short period of time.

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  • Days spent in Moree prior to Croc Skills liaising with the schools, community groups and assisting in training the students created a helpful relationship to run a successful pilot of Croc Skills.

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  • Community consultation about which partners to engage and the project design ensured community support and ownership of the project.

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  • Provision of the professionally written and designed ‘Training and Project Specifications’ to each of the schools, TAFE, Council and others only one week after the initial recruitment/briefing sessions ensured credibility and support for the project from the beginning.

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  • Ongoing liaison ensured that the schools were comfortable with the pilot project.

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  • A simple project design ensured that:

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    - students were easily able to complete the project within the 1.5 days available to them
    -     progress by the end of Day 1 was real and tangible to the students
    -     it was easy to source materials, equipment and tools for 16 students
    -     the costs of the project were kept to a minimum
    -     students performing in or watching Croc Festival on the evening of Day 1 or had part time jobs to attend could complete the project during the half day available on Day 2

  • Provision of mentors over the two days ensured that the students were professionally supervised and felt comfortable to ask questions and felt supported.

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  • Running the project alongside a Careers Market ensured that other students could come by and see their peers, ask questions and get excited about what was being made.

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  • Having a Celebration on site at the end of the project allowed the students to feel pride in what they achieved and also recognition to the many who had supported Croc Skills.

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  • Students increased their awareness of job opportunities, possible careers and specific technical and theoretical skills by developing greater self confidence, team work, cooperation, goal setting, problem solving and communication skills.

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  • Giving schools the opportunity to expose their students to real work, training and tangible outcomes provided a link between what is learnt and meaningful engagement with local communities.

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  • Mentors and Trainers participating in positive partnerships with the students within their local community, become familiar with assisting inexperienced young people.

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  • Local businesses & organisations had the opportunity to support young people within their community and to provide exposure to the future possibilities of work, training or education.

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::: Improvement Opportunities

Mentors:

The provision of mentors to the teams was absolutely critical to the success of the project. However, the mentoring process could be expanded upon by contact with the teams before and after the project.

Marketing:

Croc Skills could be included in the briefing packages presented to each school when they "check in" to the Croc Festival so that Croc Skills is part of the itinerary of the schools visits to the Careers Market.

Croc Skills could be included in the Croc Festival stage commentary about all the related activities taking place.

Self Evaluation:

The formal project self evaluation could be further enhanced by allowing time for the teams to go round each project, ask questions, give and receive feedback.

To further assess the success of the project, more rigorous measurement of students’ beliefs in their skills in the initial and at the final stages of the project would show what they felt they gained from the project.

Career Development:

Time with mentors, employers or trainers in related trades could be included as a follow up activity to providing exposure to a potential career base.

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