Around 18 young people from the Armidale region attended a 3 day welding workshop at the Pathfinders Ltd property known as ‘Tilbuster Station’, which started on Wednesday the 17th of July. The workshop was the result of a partnership between Pathfinders Ltd, Community Colleges, and EACH and was designed to provide young people from the region with valuable rural skills training.
Youth Worker and experienced welder Rodney Day guided the group through a number of welding techniques whilst also teaching them the skills to use a number of hand and power tools. After the three days, the attendees who completed the course were able to gain a certificate of attainment, which counts towards further certificates in engineering. This was the first of a number of future workshops run by Pathfinders, Community Colleges, and EACH on the Tilbuster property over the coming year. All workshops are designed to assist youth who may have disengaged with the mainstream school system to gain work experience, skill development and vocational qualifications.
Pathfinders CEO Alan Brennan said “This is an exciting opportunity for these young people to expand their vocational skill set and gain a qualification towards further study and future employment. Pathfinders has been working with young people and families for close to 30 years and we are very excited about the potential the Tilbuster property offers to our community. Whilst we are currently seeking additional funding to further develop Tilbuster Station, we can now begin to utilise the property to expand our current reach and offer new forms of support, education, and development to our young people. These workshops are a big initial step in that direction”.
