Factory Floors to Theatre Doors

From factory floors to theatre doors, Tech School staff explored local industries to gain firsthand insight into the diverse opportunities awaiting students across Geelong.

Local career pathways are an increasing focus at Geelong Tech School. Recently, staff had the opportunity to visit prominent local employers to gain insight into what the future may hold for students, whether they pursue vocational training or higher education. By understanding the breadth of opportunities available across Geelong, staff can better connect Tech School programs to real-world contexts, helping students discover a wider range of career options.

Geelong Tech School staff at Air Radiators.

We’re grateful to the staff at each of the businesses we visited for their time, insights, and warm hospitality. There’s a real sense of excitement about what’s happening in Geelong, and we look forward to sharing what we’ve learned with our students. Find out more about the exciting work these four businesses are doing below.

Air Radiators in Lara has developed into a unique business that works with their customers to solve heat management challenges. Among their many customers are Kenworth Trucks and Bombardier / Alstom (VLine trains) which means that it is common to see Air Radiator products in use every day. The company has integrated R&D, Engineering and Production on site in Lara that allows new products to be tested fully before going into production. This vertical integration of functions offers career pathways that can include material science, product and production engineering, quality assurance and skilled production work to name a few.

The Avalon Airport Precinct really impressed with the scale of jobs and investment currently in place. Tenants include Petstock, AusPost and Cotton On. Besides the airport operations where Jetstar and freight planes are the majority of flights in and out, the massive Commonwealth owned site under a lease to Linfox Group has plans to increase business activity from the current 2000 jobs to 10,000 within a decade. Roles on offer will involve additional logistics, warehousing, vehicle manufacturing, engineering and future retail.

LoomTex located in Breakwater is uniquely placed to dye and weave fabrics, mostly in wool for domestic and international customers. Under the leadership of Samantha Van Zyl the business is keen to attract young people to unique careers that involve mechanical knowledge, chemistry and high levels of quality systems and assurance. The company has an overriding strategy to eliminate waste in all areas of production which sets it apart from competitors and is very much in tune with concerns young people have to care for the environment.

The recently recreated Geelong Arts Centre has had time now to become a familiar but still striking local landmark. Behinds the scenes of the Arts Centre many roles now involve specialised skills and technical knowledge that may not be specifically taught in schools but are effectively learnt on the job producing the large variety of shows at the Arts Centre. Roles range from being based in creative, admin, electrical, electronic and mechanical skills.

Geelong Tech School staff at Air Radiators.