Central Queensland University : CQUni brings in the heavyweights

CQUni brings in the heavyweights

CQUni brings in the heavyweights

Published:18 January 2018

TOP: VET Deputy Dean Steve Bird, Diesel Fitting Teacher Glen Willer, Resource Officer David Mohan and CQUni apprentices are rapt at the new addition to their fleet - a Mack Trident Truck. BELOW: First-year Diesel Fitting (Heavy Automotive) student Tim Borg has already enjoyed machine testing the Mack Truck and fixing the CAT.

CQUni Mackay Diesel Fitting apprentices can now complete their TAFE Vocational Education and Training (VET) certificate studies locally, thanks to the acquisition of the University's very own second-hand heavy-vehicle fleet.

'Our Mack Trident Truck is the star of the show, with all of our apprentices eager to get their hands on it,' VET Deputy Dean Steve Bird reported.

'With more than a million kilometres on the speedo, the truck will no doubt have its faults, which makes it an ideal teaching and training vehicle for our students,' he said.

The truck now takes pride of place at CQUni Mackay's $46 million Trades Training Centre at Ooralea Campus, alongside other new acquisitions including a 432E backhoe loader and a Cat 242B skid steer loader.

'Previously, apprentices in their final two years of study were required to travel to Rockhampton twice a year for hands-on block training; now, however, we're proud to have industry-standard resources on-hand to expose our students to real-world diesel fitting practices locally,' Mr Bird said.

'Third-year apprentices will complete their studies this year, with fourth-year competencies offered in 2019.'

First-year Diesel Fitting (Heavy Automotive) student Tim Borg said he'd already started machine testing the Mack Truck.

'It's great to have a pre-loved piece of machinery to work on because there are always things we can identify that need fixing,' the Cummins apprentice said.

'Last week, I inspected the truck's hoses to rectify an oil leak, and the seals on the hydraulics of the CAT were cracked so I replaced them too,' he said.

Tim said his new skillset would no doubt also be of great benefit to his family's cattle stations at Nebo and Rolleston (south of Emerald).

Diesel Fitting is one many automotive courses that will be showcased at CQUni's TAFE Careers Expo this month.

For more information on VET TAFE courses available at CQUni Mackay, visit the expo on Wednesday 24 January from 2-6 pm at City Campus (Sydney Street) or visitwww.cqu.edu.au/tafe.