Metro Tunnel HQ had some experience as they had previously hosted Specialist Schools as part of their community education program. They were unsure what elements of their education program may have needed modification. However, they were keen and open to supporting the goal.

Collaboration commenced in March.

The Monash Tech School Community of Practice facilitator discussed each school’s requirements for a custom-designed industry program. Each school determined their own learning goals, including:
- Travelling to and from Metro Tunnel HQ
- Completion of tasks in a small team environment
- Asking questions in a public forum
- Self-regulation
- Following instructions from external facilitators

A risk assessment was submitted by each school, which guided Metro Tunnel HQ’s set up of the environment on their day.

Initially, a concern was the transport options available. With one immersion, the school opted to use its own bus to transport students. Other schools opted to incorporate life skills as part of the program offering and used the public transport system to commute to and from Metro Tunnel HQ.

There were also some wonderings about how the students would cope with disruption and distractions to their established learning structures and routines.

It was also unknown how students would find the tech activities themselves. Students may have used technology at home, but in a busy public environment, using new concepts and learning from external educators, there was a degree of uncertainty.

Schools were encouraged to fast-track curriculum development by using the card deck as a collaborative tool. As part of the Immersion pre-learning, schools used the Transport industries module to commence discussion and build momentum.

As we progressed with planning, some concerns were easily solved. For example, one school had hyper-sensitive students to visual and auditory stimulants. Metro Tunnel HQ closed doors to the public for a limited amount of time to prevent the public from entering. Some screens were turned off, sound was reduced and the lighting was dimmed.

Co-designing the program ensured there was an opportunity to modify the activities to support students participation. Schools were consulted and minor tweaks were made to ensure every student’s individual needs were accommodated.

We used Google Docs to share updates and track each other’s input in live time. This minimised the need to meet online.

The 2.5 hour immersion was structured but also allowed for students to have time to return to activities they had particularly enjoyed. Existing Metro Tunnel HQ student experience programs were modified for 2 of the 3 schools that participated.

STEM-focused activities included Virtual Reality goggles, Augmented Reality colouring sheets, Signalling Secrets, and using colour coding to direct tiny robots (Ozobots).

Following a morning snack break, students learned about the purpose and progress of the Metro Tunnel and participated in a Q&A session with Metro Tunnel HQ staff. Students asked numerous thoughtful questions and enjoyed watching the tunnel progress on the big screens.

Students received a showbag and a career pin as part of their experience.

A co-branded digital badge was also created, to capture the foundation skills students were exposed to as part of their STEM activities. The digital badge is an important first step for those students, who have pathway and employment aspirations. It also provides a sense of achievement and demonstrates students' first steps in industry investigation.