Year 10 Industry and Enterprise Report

Employability Skills and the Paper Tower Challenge

As part of the Year 10 Industry and Enterprise curriculum, students will be focusing on Employability Skills this semester. Employability skills are defined as ‘Skills required not only to gain employment, but also to progress within an enterprise so as to achieve one’s potential and contribute successfully to enterprise strategic directions.’ (Employability Skills for the Future, 2002).

In class, students took part in the Paper Tower Challenge. This challenge saw small groups of students compete against each other to design and build the tallest, free-standing tower with the material supplied: paper and sticky tape. Students worked together to fold, scrunch, twist, tear and tape their structures while demonstrating the eight key skill areas of the Employability Skills Framework: 

 • Communication; 

• Teamwork; 

• Problem-solving; 

• Initiative and enterprise skills; 

• Planning and organising; 

• Self-awareness; 

• Learning; 

• Ability to work with technology. 

It was great watching the students plan and design their various constructions and to demonstrate their learning through a practical hands-on activity. 

Here we would like to share some action shots from Mrs Clark’s class and Mr Nguyen’s Industry and Enterprise classes. Looking forward to the next group challenge! 

Mrs Erin Clark