Curtin University construction students will soon learn using the same digital software used on major building and infrastructure projects through a new partnership with Octave Intelligence.
The Octave NextGen Builders Program will introduce industry-standard software into selected construction and built environment units, giving students practical experience before they enter the workforce.
The program comes as Australia continues to face skills shortages across the construction and infrastructure sectors, while demand grows for workers with digital skills.
Curtin Bachelor of Applied Science (Construction Management) Course Co-ordinator Dr Vasilios Papastamoulis said graduates were expected to have more than technical knowledge.
“Employers want graduates who are technically competent but also digitally confident and adaptable,” he said.
Dr Papastamoulis said students needed experience using digital tools to solve real project problems and work effectively with others.
He said it was still fairly common for construction management students to graduate without practical experience using industry software, although that was changing.
“When they’re given structured, hands-on opportunities, they engage very strongly,” he said.
The partnership will see students use Octave’s OnSite Visualize software, which is already used on construction and infrastructure projects. They will learn to work with Building Information Modelling (BIM) data, coordinate digital models and identify issues before construction begins.
Construction management student Liam Greyling said the opportunity would help prepare him for work after university.
“I chose construction management because of my passion for the built environment, the industry’s growth and the job opportunities available,” he said.
Mr Greyling said he hoped to gain practical industry knowledge that he could apply from his first day on the job.
He said he had not expected to use technology like this as part of his university studies but believed the experience would give him an advantage after graduating.
The program is expected to expand to other universities in the future as part of efforts to build a larger pipeline of digitally skilled construction graduates across Australia and the Asia-Pacific.
