As the South Coast’s housing and infrastructure needs continue to grow, a recent Ulladulla school-leaver enrolled in a civil construction course at TAFE NSW is set to become part of the solution.

Milton local Cody Grady will be equipped to support the delivery of more housing, better roads, and inviting places for locals to play through the skills he learns studying the Certificate IV in Civil Construction Design.

With the large number of housing and infrastructure projects underway across the country, there is an expected need for an additional 13,000 skilled civil construction professionals in the next decade according to The Australian Government’s White Paper on Jobs and Opportunities.

At the age of 18, Cody has decided civil construction was the right career path to offer him future opportunities. With an interest in design, the local teen has secured employment with local civil engineering and town planning company, Rygate and West, and is looking forward to playing his part in tackling the challenge of delivering new housing and supporting infrastructure across the Shoalhaven and Eurobodalla.

Cody lives with muscular dystrophy and has limited physical movement, his attitude toward it is, “There’s no point in letting it slow me down.” He wanted to take advantage of opportunities in the industry and is thriving with his TAFE NSW support worker and online classes delivered at the Connected Learning Point at TAFE NSW Ulladulla.

“This is my first course and I’m gaining the skills and qualification to support my current and future work in this industry,” Cody said.

He attends TAFE NSW Ulladulla two days a week to make the most of the student facilities. “I could study online from home, but I’d rather come in, I feel more connected to the class.

“I’m learning about the different construction techniques used to design housing subdivisions, roads, landscaping, lighting, and how to test various materials used across civil and residential construction projects.

“It’s great to understand more of the behind-the-scenes processes of civil construction. As part of our visit to the Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory at TAFE NSW Wollongong, I learned how to test the properties of different soil types, like how moisture content affects soil strength and density. This testing is important because it can reveal the safe limitations of foundations and can determine the type of structure best suited for that location.”

TAFE NSW Teacher Greg Walsh believes students like Cody have made a solid career choice. “A career in construction offers so much variety, from the designing and planning stage right through to soil testing and earthworks. It’s a high-growth industry, and with the increased housing and construction demand as more and more people move away from the cities and into regional areas, I think we can expect continued demand for some time,” Mr Walsh said.

Media contact: Adam Wright, TAFE NSW Communications Specialist, mobile 0466 375 552.