A GROUP of students from Broadford Secondary College are giving up their holidays to help build improvements at Kilmore Primary School.

The seven students are completing a carpentry pre-apprenticeship program at the Kangan Institute through the Vocational Education Training in schools program.

As part of the course they spend one day in the classroom and one day out on a building site.

Instructor Greg Sharp said the students were gaining valuable on-site experience and their enthusiasm for the work was encouraging.

“These kids are giving up their holidays, they wanted to work,” Mr Sharp said. “They are already giving up three days of holidays to go to Kangan to learn roofing and for the rest of the break they will be working here with me.”

The students will work at the school over the holidays as they help build a basketball court and classrooms.

As part of a certificate two in building and construction the students have one day a week in class with Mr Taylor, a veteran builder, and one day out on the building site.

Year 12 student Josh Wheeler said he was enjoying the hands-on aspects of the course that made learning easier than if he had read it out of a book.

“We get to do a lot on hands on stuff but there is a bit of book work as well,” he said.

At the end of his course the 14-year-old is hoping to get a building apprenticeship.

“I want to get into building, I am really enjoying it,” he said. “If I was doing a regular year 12 program I don’t think I would be getting as much out of it.”

Kangan Institute building program co-ordinator Phillip Love said the VET in schools course fast-tracked an apprenticeship for school students.

“Normally to enrol in a pre-apprenticeship students come to TAFE full time for 20 weeks,” Mr Love said.

“The VET in school program means the students complete the course as part of their year 12 studies. The program is geared to keep youth in school and it gives them a trade interest rather than a purely academic interest.”

Mr Love said 95 per cent of students who completed the pre-apprenticeship course gained a full apprenticeship.