Funding announced for COMET project

CITY OF MANUKAU EDUCATION TRUST

Media Release
7 June 2001

Funding announced for COMET project

The City of Manukau Education Trust (COMET) is pleased to have confirmed today funding from both central government and Manukau City Council for its Te Wero project.

Te Wero: The Pathways Challenge is an initiative to assist young people in making the often-difficult transition from school into employment. The project is in two parts – establishing business to school relationships, and student mentoring, support, family liaison and development.

Manukau City Council’s Economic Development committee last night approved $14,500 for the research component of stage one, while Steve Maharey, Associate Minister for Education (Teritary Education) publicly announced today a one-off start up grant of $100,000 for stage two.

COMET’s Executive Officer Bernadine Vester says “Manukau City Council and COMET are keen to promote partnerships between schools and industry in the Manukau area that have both economic and educational benefits. Te Wero is about creating relationships between schools and families, students and mentors, schools and businesses, workplaces and future employees, and government and the education community.

“We are pleased to have the support for this project from Mr Maharey and also from Mr Mark Gosche and Helen Clarke. The government have given us indications that, depending on the results of the initiative, an ongoing partnership with them may be developed in the future.”

COMET receives set funding from the Manukau City Council each year, however the extra $14,500 from Council will fund the “Mapping School-Business Relationships in Manukau City” research study.

Ms Vester says “There is a need for quality information about the types of partnerships that already exist, and expert advice about what new partnerships might be promoted. The research that will be conducted by the University of Auckland will provide this information.”

“We’ve already made significant progress with the Te Wero project. We’ve employed a full-time School Business Partnership Co-ordinator to work in Manukau City and established a formal partnership with Partners NZ Trust to support this work.

“This project is critical to the work being undertaken by COMET to address educational issues in Manukau. The total expected cost of the Te Wero project for the first year is approximately $385,000. These funds are being sourced through a variety of avenues, including Central Government funding, businesses, trusts and grants.”

ENDS

Contact:
Bernadine Vester, Executive Officer, City of Manukau Education Trust,
(09) 273 6609, e-mail: bvester@manukau.ac.nz.

or
Gabrielle Hinton, Media Liaison officer, Manukau City Council
(09) 262 8900, ext 8650, email ghinton@manukau.govt.nz

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