Youth Pathways website helps students with study choices

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Tuesday, 24 July 2012

Youth Pathways website helps students with study choices

A core group of educators from around the Bay of Plenty have been collaborating on a new initiative aimed at helping secondary school students make sense of the study options available to them in the region.

The Western Bay of Plenty Youth Pathways website was implemented last year and is governed by a committee made up of representatives from Bay of Plenty Polytechnic, Priority One, The University of Waikato, The Western Bay of Plenty Tertiary Providers Forum and career advisors from eight local Western Bay secondary schools.

A first in New Zealand, the focus of the new website is to provide secondary school staff, students and their whanau with a ‘one-stop-shop’ for introductory courses from a variety of providers in the region. As well as bringing this information together for students, Youth Pathways acts as a booking system for the schools and providers.

“The committee is very passionate about education and providing career pathways for our youth,” says Gaylia Bundle, WBOP Youth Pathways chairperson and Katikati College Gateway Coordinator. “Our website provides a framework to discuss career options with students and also allows me time to find the right career path for them.”

Students can go online themselves, with parents or friends, to search for the course that is right for them. Course length varies from 1 or 2 day modules up to 17 week programmes in subject areas such as hospitality, hairdressing, computing, carpentry, fashion, forklift, physics, sport and animal care.

“This website is starting to build momentum as more providers are coming on board and secondary schools are seeing the benefits for their students,” says Jeanette McQuarters, Youth Pathways Administrator. “Students are then able to experience for themselves the various post-secondary study environments while also gaining insights into which career pathway is right for them.”

With the school year already half way through it’s not too late for those senior students still unsure about what to do once they leave school. There’s still time to search the database and find a course that makes a difference to that next step on their learning journey.

For more information visit http://wbopyouthpath.ac.nz, consult with your local secondary school’s careers advisor or contact Jeanette McQuarters on jeanette.mcquarters@boppoly.ac.nz.

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