There's a new plan to encourage school students to get into trades, and it's called "gamification".
It comes as the construction industry battles with a shortage of fifty thousand workers.
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The plan is designed for students not suited to traditional learning.
It's not your usual way of learning in the classroom, but it's hoped 'gaming' will be the answer to our tradie shortage.
School principal Grant McMillian told Newshub: "This is an amazing next step forward to simulation for our young people."
That 'simulation' is a computer game called 'Construction Tycoon'.
Students are taught financial and people management skills in construction companies.
That includes things like paying staff, ordering products, and complying with health and safety laws.
James Cook High School Head Boy, Marvin, said: "The idea is unique and it's just different to the normal stuff we do at school."
It's inventor, James Coddington, is also behind games targeted at hospitality and tech industries.
He says research shows students can retain knowledge learnt through gaming.
It comes at a time when the construction industry's crying out for fifty-thousand labourers.
"For us to even be able to get close to that over the next three or four years, we need to do things differently... And we believe the gamified learning approach is going to deliver those results," said Coddington.
The game has also landed 150 thousand dollars of government funding.
Minister Carmel Sepuloni says officials now realise traditional classroom methods don't always work.
"We need to get up with the play [in] regards to technology and gamification is part of that," Sepuloni told Newshub.
The game will be offered to all secondary schools for free from next week.
A chance to plug our labour shortage - while having fun at the same time.
Newshub.
