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Careers take off at Avalon Air Show
With significant input from National Industry Career Specialist for manufacturing, Terry Bowden, Australia’s largest aviation, aerospace and defence industry event has broadened its scope to include a major career advisory showcase.
The showcase, which will now be a fixture at the annual Australian International Airshow at Avalon in Victoria, sets out to counter skills shortages in the industry, particularly in engineering and aircraft maintenance.
Careers concept hatched
The showcase was conceived when the Victorian Government, a key sponsor of the airshow, sought out Terry through his networks for ideas on how to give their exhibition space more of a career-promotion bent.
The approach chimed in perfectly with Terry’s strategy of using industry-specific expos rather than amorphous general career expos to promote careers in a targeted fashion.
Further discussions between Terry, airshow organiser Australian Aerospace and other major players from the government, industry and education sectors crystallised a concept that won overwhelming support from many exhibitors—a weekend event following the trade-only event that re-oriented stands from a ‘trade’ to a ‘career’ focus. Exhibitors saw the power of the opportunity to promote their careers to the 100,000 people who would visit.
Education professionals mobilised
Exhibitors also understood the potential benefits of the Career Advice Australia initiative’s school base. Terry proposed that the Friday be used for professional development for teachers, career advisers and vocational and technical education coordinators.
Working through the national network of Regional Industry Career Advisers and Local Community Partnerships, Terry was able to mobilise 370 education professionals to attend the event, with around 50 coming from outside Victoria.
Sponsored by the Victorian Government, the day included presentations and panel discussion by key industry personnel, discussion workshops and networking opportunities, provision of a careers information resource kit and access to the 600 trade exhibitors at the show.
The public and undergraduates get involved
The weekend public access activities included all the visual excitement of the airshow plus an interactive display area devoted to career information for parents and children. Young people could have a go at fun tasks such as computer-assisted designing, pilot and air traffic control simulation, and model airplane-making.
In addition, around 300 undergraduate engineers were given access to the trade-only aspects of the airshow, managed by career committee partner, the Royal Aeronautical Society.
The career promotion model used at the airshow is highly transferable. It will run at the upcoming Bundaberg Airshow in Queensland and at a career expo at Bankstown Airport in Sydney. Australian Aerospace will use it when they run a maritime expo in Sydney in 2008.
Contact
Terry Bowden
Ph: 03 9867 0183