Hawke's Bay Youth Make Most of Helping Hand

Media Release
Hawke's Bay Youth Make Most of Helping Hand
EIT's 16 and 17-year-olds studying at tertiary level with the aid of government funding are bucking the national trend in terms of their results.

Youth Guarantee students enrol in foundation-level programmes at tertiary institutions with the assistance of a government grant, which means that they don't have to take out a student loan.

The success of these students at EIT has been very strong, with EIT students achieving some of the best results in the country. In 2011, the Youth Guarantee students’ results actually exceeded those of the total EIT student body.

Deputy chief executive Claire Hague puts this down to excellent mentoring and pastoral care provided by EIT staff as part of the Youth Guarantee programme, along with great support from local secondary schools and parents. "Secondary school principals and staff have worked closely with EIT since the start of the Youth Guarantee scheme in 2010, actively helping to transition students who are not succeeding at school into tertiary programmes at EIT," she said. "Family support in this process was also critical. EIT has also appointed staff who relate well to young people to help them settle into and succeed in their tertiary studies."

Both strategies seem to have paid off. In 2010, the 70 % course completion achievement rate is one of the best across the sector. In 2011 these course completions improved even further to 74 %, the same as for all students studying at foundation level with EIT. On top of this, qualification completion rates in 2011 for Youth Guarantee students were also strong at 63%

Many Youth Guarantee students, who study mainly in trades, also gained apprenticeships and employment as a result of the Youth Guarantee scheme, or moved into higher level programmes.

"These are particularly pleasing results considering the young age of these students, and the fact that many have come from an unsuccessful academic experience at school. It really reinforces the point that when schools, tertiary organisations and families work together to make the most of Government policy initiatives, some great results can be achieved," said Ms Hague.

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