Bricks and Mortar Boards

Media Release

Friday 13 April 2012

Bricks and mortar boards

The Student Hub at UCOL Wairarapa certainly lives up to its name.

The newly re-vamped, centralized space now combines a café, learning support, disability support, health nurse and student association all together under one roof.

The area is also home to the library service, which includes computers for study purposes, wireless access for laptops and programme relevant online and textbook resources.

Campus Manager Angela Hewitt says the Hub on the upper campus is very appealing for students. “The carpet and seating have made it a very comfortable place to study or relax in.”

UCOL Wairarapa’s carpentry and joinery students will also benefit from a brand new facility. The new construction building will have all the equipment needed for construction activities covered in UCOL’s Certificate in Carpentry, which offers students skills equivalent to those learned in the first year of a building apprenticeship.

Students will be able to build houses in a purpose built area on the upper campus’ Chapel Street frontage, in real, on-the-job conditions. UCOL’s Certificate in Joinery students will have the opportunity to work on the house build, also, in Semester 2.

New science and clinical laboratories are already being well used by nursing, health science, sports, and beauty students as part their learning experience: they replace existing facilities that did not meet UCOL’s earthquake safety requirements.

The new Certificate in Contemporary Music Performance programme will soon operate from a purpose designed music suite presently being developed. The on campus facilities include two sound-proofed band rehearsal rooms, instrument practice rooms for 1:1 tutorships and an iMac lab to accommodate frequent band rehearsals, 13 hours per week of classroom tuition and practical tutorials.

“We are proud of our student success rates. We know that is mostly about excellent teaching,” says Angela. “But it’s also about having up-to-date facilities and a campus culture that supports our students and encourages them to do their best.”

“The exciting part is there are even more campus upgrades to come,” she says. “Watch this space!”

ENDS

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