BACK TO ALL NEWS

13-Jul-2025 | Education & Training

World Youth Skills Day 2025: Building Futures Through Hands-On Learning

2025 marks the tenth anniversary of World Youth Skills Day, a day to celebrate the role of skills development in transforming the lives of young individuals worldwide. This day reminds us of the immense potential of young people when equipped with the right tools and opportunities.

At SYC, we’re proud to provide programs and services that empower people with skills and opportunities for education, employment, and wellbeing. Together with the South Australian Housing Trust (SAHT), SYC delivers the Building Links and Build Your Career programs. Each year, SAHT provides SYC with two properties for renovation, along with materials, to support hands-on learning.

This innovative partnership brings the classroom to the worksite and gives students valuable construction experience across a variety of real-world tasks, including:

• Demolishing existing framework and second fix fixtures
• Gyprock replacement, plastering, wall finishing and painting
• Second fix cabinetry installation and wet area fixtures
• External concreting and landscaping projects

The collaboration plays an important role in addressing the construction industry’s skills shortage, offering practical training that gives students a genuine insight into life on the tools.

Importantly, at the end of each project, a family is able to move into a newly renovated home, providing not just a learning outcome but a real contribution to the community.

Our programs do more than build construction skills. They help build futures. Many students go on to successfully secure apprenticeships after completing the program and launch into fulfilling careers in the industry. Students are also mentored and supported throughout by our dedicated Success and Wellbeing Services (SWS) team, helping them overcome any life challenges that may affect their ability to complete the program.

Throughout the year, students develop essential life skills and build relationships with Group Training Organisations (GTOs) and potential employers. They’re supported through the process of obtaining licenses, including access to free driving lessons through CITB, and to ensure they are apprenticeship-ready by the time they complete the program.

RTO Code: 40053