End of Year Visit to Maton to Visit Course Graduates
Our NCAT Guitar Making Course trainer Bon Nardella, regularly visits our two main industry partners. Recently Bon visited Maton Guitars to have chat with our ex Guitar Making graduates.
NCAT Guitar Making Course Graduates at Maton
Atsu came from Japan where he worked in the retail guitar industry. In Australia, he started to design his own guitars. He met luthier David Searle from DJS Guitars and began making electric guitars with him.
Because Atsu wanted to learn how to design guitars, make templates, choose materials and about current design software David recommended the NCAT Guitar Making course.
After his work placement at Maton he asked the head of painting and finishing if he could be trained in this area. He completed the NCAT course and went to work at Maton. Atsu worked across all of the factory work stations and then worked in the painting area. Atsu now oversees Maton’s paint shop and the final finishing. On Bon’s recent visit Atsu said “My dream has come true.”
Many Maton and Cole Clark Workers Complete the Certificate IV in Musical Instrument Making
Ex NCAT Guitar Making Course student Jordan, had tried a few different work industries. He didn’t want to work at Maton. He thought working in the factory and being around guitars all day would kill his passion for guitars.
Thank goodness Jordan did his work experience at Maton. He discovered Maton was the place he did want to be. Jordan found his tribe – people passionate about guitars. The workers talk guitars, make guitars and then play guitars on the weekend.
Many of the workers at both factories, Maton and Cole Clark are graduates from the nationally accredited Certificate IV Musical Instrument Making and Repair course at NCAT.
Hayley works in the guitar set up room. Here she is finishes off guitars. She installs the final components, tunes machine heads and strings and adjusts the playing action. Then the guitars are shipped to Australian retailers and overseas distributors. When we interviewed Hayley before she enrolled in the NCAT Guitar Making Course she had already identified that she wanted to do this.
Although Hayley wanted to work in a particular department, in the NCAT course she learnt how to make an electric and acoustic guitars, and guitar set up and repair guitars as all NCAT Certificate IV in Musical Instrument Making and Repair students do.
Structured Work Placement at Maton and Cole Clark Factories
Both Adam and Toby pictured, were 2022 students at NCAT in Preston and are now NCAT Guitar Making Course Graduates. They did work placement for one week at Maton and one week at Cole Clark as do all our students.
The Structured Workplace Learning (SWL) Program ran as part of the NCAT course. This experience helps NCAT students and the guitar making factories Maton and Cole Clark. NCAT is grateful for the Certificate IV Musical Instrument making students opportunity to learn from the factory experience. The time at the factories helps students decide their next step after the course.
For NCAT Guitar Making students coming straight from school the SWL helps them understand the factory workplace. What students learn in the NCAT Guitar Making workshops reinforces what students learn in the work place and vice versa.
Victoria has Australia’s two premium instrument making factories. There are opportunities for direct employment from our NCAT Guitar Making Course into Cole Clark and Maton. The course was designed for this purpose with both factories represented on the steering committee for the 22564VIC Certificate IV in Musical Instrument Making and Repair. With this end in mind the students tour both Melbourne guitar making factories in term one of the NCAT course. The Structured Workplace Learning program is organised during term holiday breaks.
