Course - Industrial Technology Timber Products & Furniture

In Year 11, we make a Scandinavian Inspired Nightstand (bedside table). The purpose of a more structed and scaffolded project in Year 11 is to provide you up with the required knowledge, understanding and skills you will need for Year 12.

In Year 12, students design and construct a Major Design Project that is completed over the whole year. Students are free to choose what they wish to make, and follow the design process from initial idea conception to seeing it realised in the workshop. Students are encouraged to consider their own skills, abilities and resources available when determining the degree of difficulty, complexity, size and scope of their Major Project. 

Like any HSC course, there is a significant theoretical component to the Industrial Technology course. This includes a study of the timber and furnishings industry, along with the foundational knowledge and understanding of timber and allied materials, tools, processes and techniques that underpin quality practice in the workshop. This theory is provided in the context of the projects students complete, and ultimately drives better practical outcomes. 

Yes, there are no pre-requisites for Industrial Technology in Stage 6. However, students will have missed so much foundational learning from Year 9 and 10, that it does put them at a significant disadvantage. It requires extreme commitment and diligence from the student should they wish to pick up the subject in Year 11.

I guess this comes down to the student. Major works are all due within a four week period of each other, coinciding with the Trial HSC examinations. This can place considerable stress on students, and can impact their ability to study for the Trial Examinations as they endeavor to finish off two major works. Consistent application throughout the year is the most important relieving factor. Do you tend to leaving things to the last minute? Probably best to stick to one major work. Another option - you could do two and drop one of them at the end of Year 11.

Design and Technology focuses on the Design Process itself, and is not limited to a particular technology or medium. The focus is on identifying a need or problem, and then the application of the design process to solve that need or problem. Projects in Design and Technology are therefor wide ranging in scope, and thus the choice of materials, tools and technologies used is determined by the nature of the project. Think of it as more like product design.

Industrial Technology looks at the design process in the context of one particular Technology or medium. In this instance it is Timber. Think of it as learning the craft of furniture design and cabinetmaking – heavily skill based.