Introduction
This program includes a comprehensive series of 4 lesson plans designed for the year 7/8 science curriculum. Resources, lesson plans, and assessment have all been written in cooperation with local school staff, providing knowledge and skills relevant to future career pathways, and includes the option of an excursion/incursion from a local industry partner. The Tech School provides experiment kits and equipment on loan for participating schools, and the Tech School Challenge can be used as an assessment tool for your own reporting.

Gippsland is fast becoming a renewable energy hub as we see the ageing infrastructure of the fossil fuel industry give way to new renewable sources. Cleaner, cheaper, and increasingly more reliable, with a real need for a skilled workforce into the future, we are seeing everything from offshore wind, battery farms, and microgrids being developed across our region. This program will introduce students to the opportunities and challenges of how we might live more sustainably now, and into the future.

Program Summary
During the unit, students are challenged to explore why we live the way we do, experimenting with materials choice in house design, analysing the most efficient materials and design features for heating and cooling our homes. They are introduced to renewable energy sources and collect data on the energy output of solar and wind assets.

When students reach the Tech School, they will be given the challenge of creating a sustainable, eco-friendly, and renewable-powered neighbourhood using information gathered in the classroom to decide the construction of housing, the location of assets, and the geographical features that are important. Throughout the day, teams of students will be given challenges to consider how we deal with waste, economic and community issues, technical problems, and disaster mitigation to future-proof our world.

Taking part in this program, students will collaboratively:

• Design and evaluate sustainable housing choices
• Plan, develop, and maintain a housing estate and microgrid
• Work collaboratively in a team to overcome real-world challenges

Career Links:
Civil Engineering, Town Planning, Machine Operator, Electricians, Product Engineers, Designers, Architects, Researchers