Building pupils’ build-ability

BCITO’s ‘Building People’ tagline is more than that; the philosophy is extended to the classroom to encourage potential carpenters into the industry

The BCITO Build-Ability Challenge is a nationwide competition for secondary school students. It’s aimed at pupils with skills in technology, who may be interested in pursuing a career in the building and construction sector.

The 2015 challenge kicks off on 4 May, with 30 schools taking part. Each will have a team of up to five students, tasked to work together to plan, design, cost and build a playhouse to defined specifications. The playhouses must have a distinctive theme, be safe, fit-for-purpose and demonstrate the teams’ construction skills.

As its name suggests, Build-Ability aims to challenge students. Competitors will need the right aptitude and attitude to complete the challenge – they will need to think creatively, work collaboratively and meet deadlines.

Teams documented their progress online for the first time in 2014 and, during this year’s May to August build phase, they will be blogging weekly at buildability.co.nz. The public will be able to visit the site and vote for the ‘people’s choice’ category winner.

Prizes up for grabs include $1,000 for the overall winners, a ‘classroom shout’ for the ‘people’s choice’ award recipients and a GoPro camera for the best video blog entry.

BCITO reintroduced the competition last year, with just nine schools competing. It was so successful that 30 schools will take part in this year’s challenge.

Each team will be mentored by teachers and supported by BCITO Skills Brokers.