Trade Training Centre Opening by Prime Minister
The John Forrest Trade Training Centre opened February 2011 to deliver Pre-Apprenticeship Programs in Plumbing and Painting and Decorating. These programs are delivered through the college's longstanding partnership with MPA Skills and provides students with the opportunity to complete a pre‐apprenticeship and begin a full apprenticeship whilst completing Year 11 and 12 studies. The outstanding and highly effective partnership between John Forrest and MPA Skills was judged in 2010 as the best School Community Partnership in Western Australia by the School First Impact Award Judging panel. The program has proved highly successful with 87% of the 2010 Pre-Apprenticeship Plumbing group graduating to full apprenticeship for 2011.
On the day of the opening of the John Forrest Trade Training Centre, students at John Forrest Secondary College received an exciting surprise. Plans had been made for Federal Minister for Education, Peter Garrett and the Minister for Defence, Stephen Smith to jointly open the state of the art facility. In the hour before her arrival, college staff were able to reveal to students that Prime Minister Julia Gillard would also attend and would personally open the Trade Training Centre. The additional bonus for students was that the one hour visit coincided with the college lunch break and the Prime Minister, Minister Garrett and Minister Smith kindly agreed to spend most of the lunch break in the college quadrangles meeting and talking with students and staff. Students were delighted to have the opportunity to talk to the Prime Minister about their Career aspirations and the range of special programs running at the college. On her arrival at the Trade training Centre, the Prime Minister was able to interact with students demonstrating their newly acquired plumbing skills.
At the official opening ceremony, Principal Di Turner, acknowledged the range of contributors to the early success of the John Forrest Trade Training centre which has opened it's doors to Pre Apprentice and School Based Apprenticeship students training in the areas of Painting and Decorating and Plumbing delivered through the very special partnership which has been developed by the college and MPA Skills
