Chevron Australia and Leighton Contractors have both launched education programs aimed at attracting school students into a career in the companies’ sectors.
They have entered into partnerships with high schools to deliver the programs.
Early last month Chevron launched its Powering Careers in Energy initiative, which involved five primary and high schools running Curriculum Council-endorsed studies in energy.
Under the program, students will study four hours a week and gain the equivalent of two full units towards the West Australian Certificate of Education graduation on completion of the course.
Units developed as part of the course were ‘An introduction to energy’, ‘The science behind LNG’, ‘Safety and the environment’, ‘Exploring careers in energy’ and ‘LNG exploration camp’.
Five schools have joined Chevron to deliver the program to 60 students. They are Hamilton Senior High School, Onslow Primary School, Exmouth District High School, Gilmore College and Pinjarra Senior High School.
Chevron plans to link up with more schools next year and continue the development of the resources and delivery methods used for the course.
“Chevron recognises that a new generation of young minds will soon be discovering and shaping our world’s energy future, which is why we choose to invest in quality education and training programs,” Chevron Australia human resources general manager Kaye Butler said.
The state government announced a partnership between Leighton Contractors and Governor Stirling Senior High School in mid-August.
Leighton was set to sponsor the delivery of a five-year specialist program in engineering at the Midland school, starting in 2013.
Global strategic consulting and engineering delivery firm Sinclair Knight Mertz established the engineering curriculum for the course.
Community organisation Beacon Foundation, which works in secondary schools across Australia to foster students’ will to succeed, facilitated the partnership between Governor Stirling Senior High School and Leighton Contractors.
“I believe our schools should be preparing all students with a qualification on graduation, not simply focusing on being a pathway to university for those who want to pursue tertiary studies,” education minister Peter Collier said when launching the program.
“The scholarships provided by Leighton Contractors as part of this sponsorship will help students with their studies and target high academic achievers, girls and indigenous students wanting to pursue university qualifications and careers in engineering.”
