The Havelock North High School/Edges Art Framers Link

The Technology department at Havelock North High School has made a variety of industry links, the majority involving technologists talking about their technological practice with the class, and class visits to local workplaces.

This year Technology teacher Jeff Arnold decided to use a local business as a client for his Level 3 class. He approached Havelock North firm Edges Art Framers owner Suzi Merson, having taught her  son the previous year. She had been 'blown away' with what the class was doing, and was delighted to give any help she could.

The students were asked to produce conceptual designs to address an identified issue within the working environment and operation of the business, for which Suzi took on the role of client. The class visited her workplace at the beginning of their projects, where she showed them the process the company works through when making each frame. While working on their design development students were welcome to return to Suzi's business to clarify issues, and also visited another framing company and a furniture company to compare technological practices.

The teacher's perspective – Jeff Arnold

Jeff Arnold has long been an advocate of working with the community, and sees the benefits of industry links for both students and business, and for himself as a teacher.

His students get an insight into the world beyond the classroom, and an understanding of the relevance of what he is teaching. Students can see the processes businesses use, both in design and other areas, how staff specialise in certain areas, and the way businesses talk to stakeholders and sort out the key factors – all of which are directly related to what they are doing in their school technology. Experiencing these relationships, and being able to examine a company's technological practice as a case study is the most important aspect, but the Year 13 students are also able to use this to work towards Technology Achievement Standard 3.6

"Having a client outside of school that students are accountable to is a huge benefit for them; it puts the pressure on to deliver, and to deliver a quality solution. It's a big step for a 17 year-old to have to make that sort of client link and to make it work. The business can also benefit from the ideas the student comes up with, if they decide to take some of those ideas and run with them."

He says that industry connections also gives him a broader picture of what's going on in industry and a chance to examine things he hasn't seen before.

Most of Jeff's links were made by approaching potential businesses informally. If there is an industry workplace he thinks would be good to visit, he will ring up to ask if his class can come to look at what the company does and how it does it. He also takes advantage of opportunities when they appear – after purchasing new equipment through a local business Trade Tools, for example, Jeff asked if his class could visit some production engineering sites related to that business.

Jeff generally makes different links each year, in part because it's good for him to see a range of different products and skills but also because he doesn't want to overload any one business, going to the same place each year and doing the same thing, although he feels that, if needed, he could go back to those companies again.

Jeff hasn't experienced any problems in making the links. "Businesses are generally very obliging, but if they turn you down, then that's just that”. When he asks a company to be a client, he is very aware that 'time is money' and the importance of using their time wisely, particularly when linking with smaller businesses.

He has also used support organisations to access technologists. Futureintech , for example, helped arrange a mechanical engineer to come and talk to his three Level 3 classes about the types of work he does and how he got into engineering.

Jeff concludes that linking with an enterprise has benefits for the local business community as well and that, when they act as the clients, companies enjoy the positive feedback the students provide. Some businesses have taken on students from his class as apprentices, further underlining the local employment opportunities to students.

The industry perspective – Suzi Merson, Edges Art Framers

Suzi had an open-door policy at Edges for the students she was working with – they were welcome to come in at any time during the school day or in their own time, to look around, ask questions or use the machines. She found a number of boys were regular visitors to the shop, sometimes popping in to measure, other times taking photos or studying the manufacturing process in more detail.

Through talking to the students Suzi could see the benefit to them in having a real process, rather than making one up. She was really impressed with the process they followed and enjoyed their presentations of the conceptual designs they had produced to address the issues identified within the working environment and operation of the business. She comments that another time she'd like the opportunity for a longer look at the work, so that she could examine in more detail how each one had developed and what each individual student had come up with by themselves.

Suzi was impressed that when the students did their presentations at Edges, there was no shyness or awkwardness, just a business-like report back and genuine thanks to Suzi for helping out.

Suzi is enthusiastic about being able to help Jeff and the class through providing a production process to show them and an authentic situation for the students to work on. She feels that the link is a sustainable one and looks forward to working with the school again.