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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-11-24 Daily Xml
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NORTHERN ADVANCED MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY GROUP

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (15:32): I rise today to speak about the Northern Advanced Manufacturing Industry Group (NAMIG), a group formed by a number of northern suburbs businesses looking for talented young people to join their industries. NAMIG's core focus is helping students to form advanced manufacturing pathways. In the words of NAMIG's brochure, this translates to the following:

The utilisation of enabling technologies, incorporating design and business process innovation to deliver high value-added processes and products in ways that are novel and competitive.

In bringing these advanced manufacturing pathways to life, NAMIG has produced the Concept 2 Creation programs (otherwise known as C2C), which enables students to see a product from concept (the planning stage) through to creation (the final product), which is then displayed at yearly expos at Golden Grove, showcasing the students' hard work. I have attended these expos over the previous two years. I am also pleased to note that the Governor attended those expos in his capacity as patron of C2C, and he obviously showed great interest in the exhibits on display.

The projects are innovative and tailored to our current living situation. For example, some of the projects currently on show on NAMIG's website include an auto fish feeder, a water management system, musical pool tables and a communication device to help a student who is not able to speak. These unique and diverse ideas show that the students' imagination is limitless, as they are able to design and produce their own creations. This helps to keep them interested in the project in hand and encourages them to strive to finish their final product.

Through the continual growth of the C2C program, more and more industry sectors are becoming involved with this cause and donating their time and effort to helping students realise their potential in fields such as engineering by providing scholarship money and the opportunity for a select number of students to undertake TAFE traineeships, as well as different fields of study than they would otherwise complete within the school curriculum.

Throughout NAMIG's existence as a leading manufacturing advancement group, it has won several awards, including last year's Engineering Excellence Awards—Taking Advanced Manufacturing to our Next Generation, and at the 2009 Technology Industry Association Awards, it was awarded the Support of Education Award. This partnership of industry and education plays a big role in the lives of the students that participate, helping them to decide career pathways they might like to pursue in the industry sector—pathways they may have otherwise not given lasting thought to. I commend the NAMIG Group and its chair, Brian Wildman, and its CEO, Bernie Fitzsimons, for paving the way for our youth to expand their education and to develop skills worthy of employment within the engineering industry sector—a pathway possibly overlooked otherwise.

In addition to the C2C Expo, I was fortunate enough to attend the NAMIG second industry forum in October where Mr Jim McDowell, Chief Executive of BAE Systems Edinburgh, and Mr Martyn Cray, Executive Director of General Motors Holden were in attendance, representing two of the largest employers in the northern suburbs industry sectors. These two gentlemen and their companies are well aware of the benefits of working with schools to ensure future employees.

I urge the state government to continue funding for this program through DFEEST. I know that at the moment NAMIG has 12 months' funding for 2011, but I think that extra security would be very valuable. I understand that the federal funding runs out at the end of this year. There is a range of schools involved, and I will mention some of them: Craigmore High School, Fremont-Elizabeth City High School, Parafield Gardens High School, Para Hills High School, Riverton and District High School, Salisbury East High School, Salisbury High School, St Mary's College, St Patrick's Technical College, St Paul's College and a number of others.

Time expired.

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