Steel Life HIA and BlueScope Steel teach apprentices how to work with steel
18 January 2011
Due to the increasing popularity of steel construction in the building industry, BlueScope Steel and the HIA have come together to form an apprentice training day to teach new apprentices about the benefits of working with house framing made from TRUECORE® steel.
The first training day took place on 30 September and was held at the HIA NSW headquarters in North Ryde. A total of 90 HIA apprentices took part in the inaugural session.
BlueScope Steel and other industry professionals came together to educate the apprentices on the benefits of working steel, such the opportunity to differentiate themselves in the market place by using this strong light weight building material. James Courtney, renowned V8 Supercar Champion, was also on hand to motivate the new apprentices about overcoming challenges in order to achieve success, using his own personal experiences as key examples.
Apprentices were keen to listen and understand the qualities of steel, such as the strength of the product, its pre-fabrication that results in it being easier to use, minimal on-site waste and the light weight properties which make it quick and easy to move around the site and install meaning time savings and reduced on-site labour.
One key-note speaker was Bill McDonald from McDonald Jones Homes, a NSW project home builder. Bill is a specialist in steel framed houses and spoke about his own years of experiences working with steel and how steel has played a substantial role towards his success in home building.
Ken Watson from NASH (National Association of Steel framed Houses) also spoke about the devastation experienced as a result of bushfires which has lead to a reconsideration of home design and the building materials used in houses in bushfire prone areas. He spoke about how steel performs in a fire and clearly demonstrated this in an informative video which showed a purpose built steel framed house being tested in a simulated bush fire.
Representatives from Supaloc® provided a demonstration of their engineered steel framing system. They explained the advantages of their simplistic assembly which uses a series of patented connection systems. These unique frame connections bolt and clip together with precision and structural integrity.
Supaloc® also explained how the system is manufactured by using a computer aided design driven machinery called SBSCad. Along with SBSCad design providing pinpoint accuracy in production, it also aids in reducing time for on-site measurement, construction and results in minimal wastage.
To conclude the training day, BlueScope Steel took the apprentices to inspect some examples of residential steel frame houses being constructed by McDonald Jones Homes at Kellyville.
For further information on working with house framing made from TRUECORE® steel, visit www.truecore.com.au/tradies, a new website set up by BlueScope Steel to help tradespeople work with steel framing.
The site helps to show tradespeople how easy steel framing it is to work with through videos, tips and fact sheets for trades including frame fixers, 2nd fix carpenters, plumbers, electricians and plasterers.
