Armidale Iron Man Welders Project

Hansard & Papers " Legislative Assembly " 5 March 2008 " Full Day Hansard Transcript " Item 16 of 43 "
Armidale Iron Man Welders Project

About this Item
Speakers - Torbay Mr Richard
Business - Private Members Statements, PRIV

ARMIDALE IRON MAN WELDERS PROJECT
Page: 5884

Mr RICHARD TORBAY (Northern Tablelands-Speaker) [10.52 a.m.]: One of the most intractable problems facing our society today is the number of young people at risk who are still slipping through the cracks, despite the best efforts of educators, youth workers, government agencies and community groups. Engaging them in positive behaviour and reconnecting them with the education they have missed so that they can get jobs is still a major challenge. Today I draw the attention of members of the House to a program that has achieved outstanding results in this area and is almost drowning in its success.

I first became involved with the Armidale Iron Man Welders project when I was introduced to its coordinator, Bernie Shakeshaft, by the New England Credit Union Chief Executive Officer, Kevin Dupe. Bernie, a well-known youth worker in the city, had sought help from the New England Credit Union to back a project to teach a group of 16 at-risk young men to learn to weld. Bernie, who works on the streets of Armidale-often very late at night-is also involved in programs to keep young people at school, at least to year 10 level. He found that most of them came from challenging backgrounds, were not performing well and disliked being regarded as failures. They were roaming the streets late at night, were caught up in risky behaviour and had scant regard for any form of authority. However, they all wanted to learn to weld.

The program began with the Armidale Dumaresq Council providing an unused workshop at a peppercorn rent. The New England Credit Union, the Armidale Bowling Club and Hillgrove mine donated $1,000 each. Local businesses gave money, equipment and materials. Bernie provided the leadership and other people made their time available to teach the boys to weld. The changes were immediate and remarkable. The boys turned up in force to clean up the shed, regularly attended the workshops and took on TAFE classes, which were a compulsory part of the program. Of the original group that entered the program in December 2006, six are now in apprenticeships, four in full-time employment and an additional six have completed certificate II courses in engineering at TAFE.

Iron Man Welders is currently involving another 10 young people who are still at school. The group has taken on several contracts for local businesses. At present it is also supporting both local public high schools in Armidale with a suspended student program. The schools have invited Iron Man Welders to provide activities in its workshop to involve these young people in welding, dog training and other positive occupations during their suspension from school. The dog-training program, for which Iron Man Welders is making equipment and providing mentoring, is innovative.

It is part of a research project that Bernie is undertaking with the University of Western Sydney to find new programs to engage young people at risk. Being a dog trainer in a former career, he has introduced it into the Iron Man Welders portfolio. It is unbelievable. Twelve young people, predominantly indigenous, have become involved. Unlike many similar projects, it has recorded a 100 per cent attendance rate, and there is increasing demand from parents and schools to involve more young people. A dog jumping team formed from this group has been competing in the local show circuit and winning all events. The idea is that, as the young people learn to discipline the dogs, they also learn to discipline themselves.

There is now a proposal before council to gain the use of another small building on the workshop site for a girls program to teach arts and crafts for commercial purposes. Teachers, supervisors and a number of girls are ready to start. The problem currently facing Iron Man Welders is that its success is well beyond what was originally anticipated. Although the Department of State and Regional Development has provided some funding over two years to support the coordinator's part-time position, it is not meeting the growth of the program, which needs approximately $12,000 to pay for a part-time supervisor for the welding activities and a part-time position to handle the paperwork for the administration of the expanding activities.

Not a week goes by when Bernie is not approached by schools, community groups, psychologists and a range of service providers to take on more young people who need support. The Iron Man Welders programs are unique and innovative; they are producing outstanding results and do not duplicate any existing services. I urge the Minister for Community Services, who I know-I was with him-met Bernie and some of the boys when he was last in Armidale, to provide some one-off funding to keep this outstanding project on track to meet growing community demands.