A joint application for funding was made by Stannies’, MacKillop College and St Joseph’s in Oberon.

The collaborative project was awarded a total of $3.2 million.

St Stanislaus’ headmaster John Edwards said the three schools collaborated to improve their funding chances, a move that paid off as they were the only independent schools in NSW to be successful.

St Stanislaus’ College will use its money to build automotive, construction and metal and engineering workshops and classrooms.

The Stannies’ boys will be able to study hospitality at MacKillop, while the girls will also be able to learn a trade at Stannies if they wish.

Mr Edwards commended the Commonwealth for offering the grants.

“It’s a great outcome for Bathurst,” he said. “Millions are being spent on education in Bathurst by the Federal Government.”

He said the program allows students to make significant headway in obtaining a trade while continuing their academic studies.

Under the program the school will take students through to Certificate 3 level accreditation. Currently schools can only teach to Certificate 1.

“Under this system students can become qualified a number of years earlier than they might have before,” Mr Edwards said.

Mr Edwards said St Stanislaus’ College’s strength lies in the fact that it has fully-qualified tradesmen on staff who are also qualified teachers.

They include builders Phil Lewis and David Glasson, mechanic Eugene Floyd and cabinetmaker Nathan Irwin.

“That was part of our strategy,” Mr Edwards said.

“We wanted teachers who could capture the imagination of the boys.

“The retention rate of boys generally is very low and academic rates poor.

“This should be of national concern. I feel this is one way to capture the interest of boys in school.

“We hope that if they know they can combine vocational skills with academic skills they might enjoy their school experience more.

“We want balanced boys.”

Mr Edwards said many boys from small towns can’t get a trade so they leave school early and move away to another town.

“We hope this project will encourage more boys to stay at school longer.

“It is a concern to see boys leave school at 15 years of age so they can get a trade.”

The Federal Government funding was announced last month.