Students build three cabins

BULLI Tourist Park will open up three new cabins this week, following an official handover by students from TAFE Illawarra.
The students built the two bedroom cabins over 10 months as part of their pre-apprentice course in carpentry and joinery.
The handover is part of a long term relationship between Wollongong City Council and TAFE Illawarra where students are able to gain hands-on construction experience.
Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery said the relationship between Council and TAFE gave the students real-world experience in carpentry and joinery, which was vital when looking for employment or an apprenticeship.
“Through this initiative these students are not only gaining theoretical knowledge but also the practical, and this sets them apart when they enter the workforce,’’ he said.

Over the past 12 years, TAFE students have built close to 40 cabins for Council’s tourist parks at Bulli, Corrimal and Windang.
The cabins have two bedrooms, and come fully self-contained, with full kitchen, bathroom and laundry facilities.
TAFE Illawarra’s Head Teacher, Carpentry and Joinery, Patrick Rawnsley said: “This year the handover involves cabins with a new, more complex design, which were finished on site at Bulli Tourist Park.
“The pre-apprenticeship students complete the same course as trade apprentices and attend TAFE three days a week. Their training is fast-tracked so rather than taking the usual two years, it takes just one.”
This year a total of 22 students enrolled in the sought-after course and, to date, 4 have left the course after gaining an apprenticeship and joined the mainstream classes. Thirteen have already been offered an apprenticeship for when they finish the course.