aitc builds numbers!

A I T C M A G A Z I N E

Not All Who Wander Are Lost

It’s Not Just a Helping Hand

Defying The Odds

Maintaining a Connection With Your Teenager

AITC BUILDS NUMBERS!

I S S U E D E C / 2 0 1 7

Winning against the odds are the greatest stories – right?

Stories such as: • Michelle Payne - winning the

Melbourne Cup 2015 (the first woman).

• Cathy Freeman - winning the 400 metres at Sydney Olympics.

• Steven Bradbury (famous last man standing) - winning Gold in skating.

Their achievements surprised us and remind us that a human being who dis-covers hope, a personal vision and cou-rageous persistence, can defy the odds.

However, not all “odds defying” sto-ries are written up in the newspapers and splashed across the TV. To be sure, they are just as compelling for their remarkable achievements in the face of huge challenges.

In fact, AITC young people defy the odds every year with stories of courage in the face of huge challenges. Here is the evidence:

1. EDUCATIONAL CHALLENgESStatistics tell us that over 30,000, 17 year old Australians will not finish school

in 2017. Many AITC graduates also found their conventional school a hostile place, which assumed that their techni-cal talent excluded them from achiev-ing at school. However, over 90% will graduate at the AITC in 2017, proving that they are intelligent, resourceful and enthusiastic about learning.

2. EMpLOYMENT CHALLENgESStatistics also tell us that in Qld over 70,000 young people (aged between 15 – 24) cannot find employment in 2017. 70,000 is a lot of young people! In the face of these facts however, over 90% of AITC graduates have creat-ed full time employment positions in their local community where they have become productive contributors to both the economy and infrastructure.

For a 17 year old to achieve just one of the above outcomes is an achieve-ment to be celebrated. To have achieved both an educational and employment outcome is truly remarkable. How many 17 years olds do you know who have completed their education and have a full time job?

One of our employers always tells the young people that “Tradesmen stand Tall”.

The AITC apprentices certainly have every reason to stand tall. After all, they have truly “defied the odds”. n

Mark Hands AITC CEO

PAGE 1

Defying the Odds

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Adolescence is often a time of great upheaval for teenagers and their families. With rapid

physical growth, fluctuating hormones and big changes socially and emotionally, it’s often hard for parents and caregivers to maintain a positive connection with young people.

Adolescence by its very nature is a tran-sition from childhood to adulthood.

If we look to studies of adolescent animals we can see similar traits to those of adolescent humans. Common charac-teristics seen in adolescent animals are seeking out new sensations, taking more risks, loving novelty and being in conflict with parents and peers. In humans the behaviour is similar, although on a much

grander and more complicated scale. Teenagers are learning through trial

and error as a way to become fully func-tioning adults. Just as toddlers learn to walk by falling over many times, learning to be an adult also requires trying new behaviours and risking success or failure which builds practice at transitioning to adulthood.

Maintaining a connection with your teenager is easier if you already have a good relationship in place…..however, if you don’t, it’s never too late to begin. As a parent or trusted family member of a teenager you can start to build a positive relationship with your young person by engaging with them. Try to spend some quality time with them …time which is

free of judgement where you can enjoy each other’s company and have a laugh together. Resist comparing them to oth-ers. Let them know that your love doesn’t depend on their performance. Challenge them and show a genuine interest in their world. Trust them and remember you are never too old for a hug.

Protective factors for adolescent well-being include meals together; supportive relationships with family members; clear expectations of behaviour and values and stability and predictability within the family home. A positive self-concept, problem solving skills and feeling con-nected to a least a couple of areas outside family (school, hobbies, sport, spirituality, employment, friendships) are also person-al protective factors .

In a busy modern word where tiredness and stress can take over, it’s easy to let these simple behaviours slip. However, quality over quantity is important, so if you can start to introduce these things into your life, precious relationships will be strengthened.

Remember as teenagers navigate the often rocky road of adolescence they still need some strong anchors who they can rely upon. They still need you even though they may act like they don’t.

If you are having a really tough time with the teenager in your life remember to take some time out for yourself and connect with others who build you up.

“An independent young adult is one who exhibits independence not only in his day-to-day life but also in the emo-tional sphere, and who makes his way in life with emotional and intellectual autonomy,” Dr. Yanir. n

Amanda G – AITC College Counsellor.

Maintaining a Connection With Your Teenager

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TRADE PARTNERS TO AITCProud to have supplied school and trade uniforms since 2008

Over 500!Over 1350!Over 3000! Over 95!

Sounds like a cricket match however, these statistics reflect some significant shifts in the AITC

throughout 2017. Let me highlight the meaning of the numbers.

OvER 500With two campuses now in Gold Coast and Redlands, the AITC now enrolls over 500 young aspiring apprentices and industry focused Young People.

In fact, the AITC has become one of the larger senior schools in Qld (not the largest to be sure). Most Qld schools would have a senior cohort of between 250 – 450 students. The impact of this figure is that the College is now a major contributor to the graduation of senior students in Queensland….. a reality that was only a dream 10 years ago when most of the technically talented Young People were trying to escape senior schooling.

OvER 1350Over 1350 young people have now been employed through the AITC employ-ment program – that is, full time paid employment before or immediate-ly after they graduated from school. These figures are very sobering when you consider that in Qld in 2017 over 70,000, 15 – 24 year olds are still trying

to find employment. Touché to the AITC Young People and their employment mentors – the Employment Consultants.

OvER 3000Over 3000 employers are now included on the AITC database seeking to mentor young aspirants with work experience (an important part of the development of an AITC recruit) or the more favour-able outcome of employment. In our monthly newsletter, the College provides a list of employers looking for appren-tices. The November newsletter alone had 20 full time employment opportu-nities available. Unemployment? Lack of

Opportunities? We don’t see this as a dilemma for the young AITC recruit.

OvER 95Over 95% of Year 12 graduates consis-tently achieve a senior certificate which will keep so many career pathways open for them in the future. Over 80 staff have now joined the AITC career path and these figures are testament to their energy, innovativeness and persistence. What is more, the larger staff means that the College is now a major enterprise in Queensland, offering security and career paths to a large group of families who see the AITC vision and want to play a part in their career. n

Mark Hands AITC CEO

AITC in Numbers

Mark Hands celebrating another successful apprenticeship sign up the ‘AITC Way’

The Australian Industry Trade College (AITC) is giving young people the opportunity to ‘pay

it forward’ by taking a biennial trip to Cambodia, where students apply their knowledge and skills to help people in need.

Over the past three years, a total of 62 young people from AITC have assisted underprivileged Cambodian communities by rebuilding homes and orphanages, as well as providing basic services like hairdressing.

This year, 19 young people visited Cambodia as part of the program, which AITC CEO, Mark Hands says is designed to promote both educational and emo-tional growth.

“AITC has a strong focus on preparing young people for the real world, and the experience of travelling to Cambodia to not only test their trade skills, but also to make a real difference to peoples’ lives, is a rewarding one,” he said.

“In recent years, our team of young people and teachers have built a substan-tial rice shelter, renovated a derelict build-ing to provide a trade training centre, paved a large area in a women’s shelter and have maintained, repaired and sorted rooms in the New Hope orphanage and school.

“Our young people get a real sense of achievement when they see the result of their work and when they hear positive feedback from the people they are help-ing. One Cambodian family told us they

‘could never have imagined having such a beautiful home to live in.’

“At AITC we believe attitude and work ethic is just as important as technical abil-ity, so I’m very proud of all of our young people who have volunteered to be a part of this program.”

AITC student Jayden Tidbold who graduated in 2017 is currently complet-ing the second year of his carpentry apprenticeship with local company Bold Construction. Jayden says the trip to Cambodia changed his life.

“Being over in Cambodia, assisting people who are a lot less fortunate than me helped me to realise how lucky we are in Australia - it was quite an eye-opening experience,” he said.

“ Using the skills I am learning at AITC,

I was able to help create a new life for a family who was living under a tarp, which was a great feeling.

“I went over to Cambodia with the intention to help less fortunate people, but after seeing how happy they were with so little meant they helped me to gain a new perspective on life.”

Jayden said he was able to raise the money he needed to visit Cambodia by approaching local businesses and using social media.

“I actually ended up raising $3,500 in just one month - I was overwhelmed by the generosity of local businesses - espe-cially my employer, Bold Construction,” he said.

Nicki Tidbold, Jayden’s mother, said she noticed a significant change in Jayden following his trip to Cambodia.

“It was a major achievement for Jayden to jump out of his comfort zone and travel overseas to a country he had never been to before,” Ms Tidbold said. I am very proud of him and what he has achieved.” n

International Aid Broadens Horizons

Jayden in the back row 5th on the left pictured with the AITC Cambodia Team

It is important to look back on the journey that we have been through, to appreciate how significant that

statement actually is. Our graduates came to us when

we were just an idea. Some of them making the journey to the Gold Coast campus before we even had a building to call our own in Redlands – they were that keen to be a part of what we do at AITC. Some of them came to our very first BBQs when the old fish research station was being gutted and transformed into the learning spaces we have today – they did not see an old building, they saw their future. Still, some more of them came to us once we were up and running, hearing about us through word of mouth and catching on to the enthusiasm. They all at some

point came to us and said, “Yes, I want to be a part of that!”

Being a founding member of our cohort, our graduates would remember when it was just them on campus; no others – they had the whole place to themselves. Then we grew bigger as we moved into a new year and it was like the “only child” gained a sibling and we had to work through our growing pains. We lost some Team Leaders and Team Members, but we gained others. We were richer for having them all. What an experience for our Young People to be able to look back and say, “Back when we first started…” similar to adults telling stories from “back in their day”.

When sharing those stories, our graduates can think about Emu Gully and the Value Games in the very beginning as we inducted them into the AITC values. It was a memorable start as they solidified their decision to be here. It took courage to take a risk in this “brand new school opening in Redlands” by leaving their old

school behind and making a new start with new mates; as Mark Hands would say, “burning the ships”. For some of our Young People who were reflecting on their journey as graduation drew near, their “Yes!” moment came as they were chest deep wading through the mud, braving the stench with a mate on their shoulders. For others, it may have come later but either way, through the highs, the lows and the adventures in between – it is the memory of our founding years at Redlands AITC.

What we do at AITC is different; we are not a “normal” school and we are not industry. We are somewhere in between and we transition our Young People from one to the other. They get to call Team Leaders by their first names. They have daily site meetings where they learn about OH&S, Employment and Recruitment, Wisdom and Wellbeing. They have Strength and Fitness classes and buy lunch from a smoko van. Nevertheless, they still come in to our learning spaces and sit down to work on their English, their Maths, their Business and IT skills. Because those things are important too. Then, they go out and find work experience, try new trades, meet new employers; they work harder than they have ever worked before in the hope of gaining an apprenticeship. It is a glimpse into what “real life” is like. So much so that coming back to college is often like a holiday, a break from the long hours and hard work they have been putting in. Think about it, what an experience that is to be a part of - not many other Young People can say the same of their education experiences! n

Nerine S – AITC Redlands Team Leader

PAGE 5

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Congratulations to our First AITC Redlands Graduates!

Looking Back

Two years ago, Millie Perks had just completed Year 10 at her previous school and was all set

to leave to find a full-time job. Fast forward to November 2017 and Millie has just graduated Year 12 at the Australian Industry Trade College with a Queensland Certificate of Education. Additionally Millie is employed in her chosen career pathway, engaged in further tertiary studies and has taken out three awards at the AITC Industry Celebration Evening along the way. These included; Trainee of the Year, AITC Values Award for 2017 and the CEO’s Leadership Award.

When asked what changed her mind about leaving school, Millie explained, “my parents didn’t want me to leave school and they found out about the AITC.” Millie goes on to say that when she started Year 11 at the AITC in 2015 she found it completely different from her previous school experience. “Staff were friendly, treating you like young adults and the work we were doing was relevant and useful for the careers we are wanting to go into.”

Millie continued to “join the dots,” through a family connection who ran a street press publishing company that produces two magazines; Haven and Scout. Prestige Services Training employed Millie in a Certificate 3 Traineeship in IDMT (Information Digital Media Technology) and hosted her out to work as an intern with this publishing company. Keeley O’Connor, the founder and owner of the publishing company commented on Millie’s unique

skill set for this industry. “She is very talented in the digital space, has a flair for marketing and I have no doubts that she will one day run her own business,”. To add to this skill set, Millie is currently completing a double degree in Beauty Therapy/Screen and Media as she wants to be involved in this side of the business also.

We’re not sure where she finds the time for this, but when not at work or training, Millie is also the lead singer in a band called Ivey. Millie was approached by a friend of her sister to join the band, and decided to take up the opportunity even though she proclaims she is naturally a very shy person. “When

I’m on stage, it feels comfortable and I love being part of the whole scene,” she comments. Since joining Ivey, Millie has played at interstate events in both Sydney and Melbourne.

I asked Millie what advice she would give to future AITC students to which she replied, “If you’re thinking about coming, give it a go, it really worked for me.” As she said this, I noticed the cover of the magazine she so passionately produces up on the wall behind her that read, “not all who wander are lost …” n

Andrew P - AITC Strategic Partnership Executive

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Did you know you could access a vast range of benefits by hiring an apprentice or trainee?

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Benefits of employing an apprentice or trainee include;• increasing your business’s efficiency

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In 2015 the AITC was approached by GC2018 Gold Coast Schools Connect to be involved in the Commonwealth

Games. The Group was formed to ensure that the Gold Coast school community was informed, excited, enthusiastic and involved in the Commonwealth Games. The program included the opportunity to connect local schools with a Commonwealth Games Association and a school in a Commonwealth nation or territory. It also included opportunities for the schools to participate in key GC2018 programs and milestone celebrations

The country that was chosen for the

AITC to connect with for the Games was Scotland. Fast forward 2 years and the AITC is proud to announce the Glasgow School of Sport as our sister school for the Schools Connect Program.

To symbolise and commemorate this connection, a plaque was designed and couriered to Scotland. Our CEO Mark Hands who was in Europe at the time, made the trip to Scotland to present the plaque to the Glasgow School of Sport.

What does this mean for the future? It means that AITC will forever have a connection with Glasgow, Scotland. n

Amy T – AITC Team Leader

Commonwealth games Sister School for AITC

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AITC staff with Scottish Delegate and Commonwealth Games Liaison Representative

The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Queensland WHS Act) has recently been amended with

important changes that will impact on all who own or operate a business.

Queensland Work Health and Safety legislation has introduced the offence of Industrial Manslaughter. This follows the Eagle Farm and Dream World tragedies where 6 people lost their lives. It applies to Executive and Senior Officers of a company for negligent conduct regarding workers health and safety resulting in death.

The maximum penalty for the

offence is 20 years imprisonment for an individual and $10 million for a corporate offender! This is a significant increase from Category 1 penalties under the WHS Act of 5 years imprisonment for an individual and $3 million for corporations.

Under the new laws, a person can be prosecuted under the Queensland Criminal Code for a workplace fatality, i.e. Industrial Manslaughter is a criminal offence. It is the unlawful killing of a person without the intention of causing death or grievous bodily harm.

Industrial Relations Minister Grace

Grace, said “the harsh penalties will serve as a deterrent to employees who may be tempted to cut corners when it comes to safety in the workplace and that companies won’t be able to hide behind elaborate corporate structures to evade their responsibilities”.

The new offence sends a clear message about the communities expectation for workers health and safety and the obligations of employers to ensure they must do all they can to ensure the health and safety at their workplaces. n

Geoff S - AITC WH & S Officer

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They say a picture tells a thousand words. I have taken literally scores of photos this year of AITC

Young People involved and invested in Community Projects. Projects where we have had the privilege of helping people in small practical ways, who for one reason or another, have been marginalised or have found themselves a victim of their circumstances, needing assistance through the ‘not for profit’ organisations that we have partnered with. It has been such a joy to coordinate these Projects which include, Community Blitz, First Year Community Projects and ISP (International Service Project). These Photos not only represent

thousands of words and many projects, but they also represent lives changed for the better.

Mother Teresa said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”

The impact the Young People from AITC have had as they’ve selflessly volunteered their time and energy into Community Projects will never really be known but I know that they have made a difference. I can share part of an email I received from a social worker soon after we did some work at a women and children shelter. These women and children are fleeing domestic violence and finding refuge at the shelter we were working in. It read:

“Thanks so much for your help……We got a lady in the other day that had a gun held to her head….she said she was so frightened to go out but she went near some boys shovelling, they were nice and kind and respectful to her. How cool is that? Just kindness building trust. Kids helping women just by being themselves….”

I’ve had the privilege this year to support, supervise, organise and work alongside these amazing Young People and the staff at AITC from both campuses. It truly doesn’t take much to make a difference in someone’s world. To quote another Mother Teresa quote, “Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you.”

When we volunteer to help these organisations, we think that we are bringing change into someone’s life (which is true), but something changes in us as we selflessly give of our time and energy. We begin to understand where others have walked and because of that, we become better human beings.

SOME Of THE AITC COMMUNITY pROJECTS IN 2017:• Besor House Women’s Shelter,

partnering with Global Care and the Salvation Army - landscaping, painting and maintenance.

• Tumbulgum, NSW Disaster relief, partnering with Global Care - cleaning out flooded houses and properties.

• Liberty Community Connect and Nerang Neighbourhood Centre - landscaping, gardening and maintenance.

• The Sanctuary Women and Children’s Refuge - landscaping, building sheds and playgrounds and doing general maintenance.

• Kindilan Adventure Camp - building outdoor furniture, maintenance and landscaping.

• International Service Project to Cambodia - building houses, maintenance, hairdressing, teaching in school and general renovations. n

Marshall A – AITC Youth Mentor

It’s Not Just a Helping Hand

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T The AITC in conjunction with partner TAFE Queensland, is offering AITC students in Year 10,

11 and 12 the opportunity to enter into the sought after Community Services, Health and Nursing sector.

This transition from school to work program gives students a taste of what it’s like to work in hospitals and/or the health care industry. Due to the AITC’s delivery model, students will be able to fast-track these dual qualifications

and complete them within 18mths. The program has also secured a commitment from major employers within the health sector to provide students who successfully complete the qualification and vocational placement, employment opportunities that are heavily in demand in aged care facilities, hospitals and other health care organisations.

The program Includes:• 2 days supervised instruction of on-line

based course at AITC Robina Campus• 10 clinical lab sessions at the TAFE

Queensland Southport facility• Completion of 80 hours of Vocational

Placement at a health care facility. There are a number of additional Health Career Pathway options available on completion of this course. For more information on the AITC and its Health Hub, contact Andrew on 56350400. n

New in 2018 - AITC Health HubHEALTH SUppORT SERvICES AND HEALTH SERvICES ASSISTANCE

Every two years, more than 500 Regional Worldskills Competitions are held in 35 regions across

Australia. The Competitions test the skills and knowledge of 4,000+ apprentices, trainees and students, who have the chance to win gold, silver and bronze

medals and go on to compete at a National level.

Four AITC Redlands Campus Young People - Jack Butterworth, Hayden Green, Michael Jones and Ryan Warwick were invited to take part in the Construction World Skills Event held

at Skillstech TAFE at Alexandra Hills on the 12 October 2017. The AITC Young People were selected along with only 8 other students from the region. The Construction World Skills Event tests the skills and knowledge that apprentices, trainees and students have acquired during their time in training.

The work completed on the day was judged by qualified experts in Construction.

The person successful on the day is then invited to attend the World Skills Australia National Competition held in Sydney.

Congratulations to Jack Butterworth who was placed 2nd overall and Hayden Green who was placed 3rd overall. n

Melissa M - AITC Lead Employment Consultant

Redlands Young people Scoop Worldskills Medals

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Industry Celebration Evening (ICE) 2017 - gold Coast Campus

Industry Celebration Evening (ICE) 2017 - Redlands Campus

The AITC has restructured many of its senior administration and management positions. These

changes are initiatives to complement the expansion plans of the AITC Ltd as we seek to expand across the state of Queensland.

The following changes are indicative of those changes:# 1. A new Chairman of the Board – Greg Alder takes up the position of the Board Chair following the retirement of our long standing Chair Dennis Beck. Greg, who is the General Manager of Alder Construction, is one of the Gold Coast’s significant construction engineers. His

passion for providing opportunities to both Young People and employers drives his vision for expansion in both scope and scale of the College. # 2. A new focus for the CEO. Long standing CEO/ Principal, Mark Hands continues after 10 years service at the college however, with a new focus upon expansion and resourcing of these expansion plans. # 3. Two new Principals. Both campuses welcome the arrival of new Principals in 2018. Gary Smith commences as Principal at Redlands campus and Eliza

Lane commences at the original campus on the Gold Coast. Both leaders will supervise the operational management of their respective campuses including both education and employment.# 4. Five new Strategic Executive. A group of leaders have been appointed to focus on both quality assurance and the expansion of the present campuses. These positions include-• Business and Finance Executive

Scott Carpenter• Educational Consultant Executive

Trisha Mason Smith• Strategic Partnerships Executive

Andrew Pevats• People and Culture Executive

Dr. Genevieve O’Reilly• Marketing and Brand Executive

Raj De Souza

The College plans to offer the unique experiences and outcomes of the AITC to as many Young People as possible across the State. These changes are evi-dence that future growth is a matter of when, not if, we grow. n

Mark Hands AITC CEO

Leadership for future growth

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Greg Alder – AITC Chairman of the Board

Just as traditional publishing advanced decades ago, digital marketing is following the same trajectory today.

The only difference is the rate at which changes are happening.

Brands are trying in more ways than ever to connect with audiences across a range of social platforms. It is becoming harder for brands to catch the attention of their customers as competition increases and our attention spans have decreased to 8 seconds. Each day users

scroll through 300 feet of content, giving brands a very small window of time to grab the users’ attention.

SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS pREDICTED fOR 2018:1. Rise in the Cost of Social AdvertisingThe time of free organic reach has passed, and to gain any kind of traction with social media marketing , businesses will need to allocate an advertising

budget for social media.As the number of advertisers on

social media increases, so will the cost of social ads. Overall, the cost of digital ads has increased 12% year-over-year. More brands are realizing that social media marketing provides an extremely cost-effective way to reach a targeted group of consumers, which is driving the competition for results with social advertising. A recent study shows that in the last year, the average CPM on Facebook has risen 171%, and the average CPC has increased 136%.

2. Richer forms of Content - especially video Anyone who works in digital marketing knows that rich content drives the most engagement. Rich content refers to any type of content that can facilitate user interaction. Videos are considered a rich form of content because they typically require the viewer to click play. In a mobile-first culture, video is our

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main consumption. In 2017 90% of all content shared by users on social media was video.

Videos on social media generate 1,200% more shares than text and images combined. Since viewers retain 95% of a message when they see it in a video and only 10% retain it when they see it in text, considering adding video content to your social media strategy is a must.

However in 2018, whilst video, particularly Live Video, will continue to increase in importance, a key differentiator will be the creation of high-quality, relevant video.

The biggest challenge as audiences become more inundated, businesses and marketers will have to become more skilled at creating truly valuable content that can capture an audience’s attention in the first 3 seconds.

It’s estimated that by 2019, video will account for 80% of all consumer internet traffic.

3. Maintaining Influencer MarketingUsing social media influencers to expand

the reach of brand messaging was extremely popular in 2017. According to Nielsen’s Global Trust in Advertising report, 83 percent of consumers trust recommendations from people they know, and 66 percent trust other consumer opinions posted online.

Because we know consumers trust one another’s opinions not social influencers and celebrities, the future of influencer marketing will see brands turning to real experts. This is due to too many brands wanting to work with social influencers and their opinions no longer being trusted.

4. Ephemeral content will provide the best engagement rateHistorically, marketers have focused on producing content that can be recirculated to drive engagement for months on end. That’s changing, especially in the world of social media. Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook stories have led to the popularity of ephemeral content. Most ephemeral content is shared for up to 24 hours and then disappears forever. Consumers

covet this kind of content because they know it won’t be around forever. As such, brands will continue to ramp up stories on all three platforms in order to generate a consistent stream of ephemeral content that keeps consumers coming back for more.

5. Rise of augmented reality The use of Augmented Reality on mobile devices provides a niche and engaging way for marketers to reach their target audience - it’s quick, easy and very interactive.

This year Apple announced the launch of iPhone 8 and iPhone X which provides users with new augmented reality experiences. Therefore its likely more social channels will plan on introducing new ways of integrating AR into their platforms. n

Lisa B AITC Marketing Manager

Ref: Neal Schaffer, Social Media Strategist and the author of ‘The Business of Influence’Mike Alton, Content Marketing Practitioner, Author, CMO - The Social Media Hat

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