Twelve women from Robinson River near Borroloola have undertaken two weeks of intensive training to develop their skills in engineering.
The training course commenced 16 October with remote VET field officer, Andrew Gaff, and FAS maintenance officer, Rick Grocke, staying on site at Robinson River during the training period.
Two ‘jigs’ were designed and manufactured to assist the reproduction of fence and gate panels.
‘The students were committed and worked very hard for the whole two weeks, picking up welding skills very quickly,’ Andrew said. ‘It is important to note here that none of the students had previous experience with welding.’
The fence panels will be used to fence the new houses that have been built within the Robinson River community. Approximately twenty panels will be required per house with seven new houses under construction.
With enthusiasm and commitment, the Robinson River women delivered a finished product of extremely high standard.
Indigenous liaison officer, Lorraine St Clair, said that when talking to the lecturers, frequent comments were made as to how quickly the women were to pick up the welding skills and that their attention to detail really paid off on the quality of the finished product.