More secondary students jump starting their careers

4 April 2013

More secondary students jump starting their careers

Secondary students have jumped at the chance to start a tertiary qualification during 2013.

UCOL reports a big increase in students enrolled with its U-Skills Trades Academy for the year. U-Skills allows students to gain an industry recognised qualification while still studying for their NCEA at secondary schools.

U-Skills manager Jacqui Phillips says a total of 191 students from central North Island schools are spending one day a week doing tailored U-Skills programmes. This compares with 81 students last year. Most of this year’s students – 122 of them – are studying at UCOL’s Palmerston North campus. That number includes 14 students from the Wairarapa, 42 from Horowhenua, 6 from Tararua, 10 from the Rangitikei and 19 from Whanganui.

UCOL has funding for 150 U-Skills places this year but has made more available to increase opportunities for young people in its regions.

Jacqui says all of the out-of-town students get free transport to the Palmerston North campus, in special buses each Friday. “Apart from the skills they’re learning on their programmes, there’s a special camaraderie on the buses – it’s an extra opportunity to swap study stories and learn from each other.”

She says the trades academy programmes – introduced by the government two years ago – give secondary students valuable experience of tertiary education which improves their chances of success when they go on to further study. “Students have great options at the end of their U-Skills year. While they’re with us, we help them to plan their future pathways. This may include staying at school, doing further tertiary study or moving into employment or an apprenticeship. These are excellent ways forward for young people and also bring gains for employers and the local economy.”

U-Skills study is free, with no course fees, and no cost for course materials and transport.

U-Skills programmes available at UCOL in Palmerston North include Building and Construction, Retail (including Hair & Beauty), Automotive, Mechanical Engineering, Health and Hospitality.

ENDS

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