Northland Secures One of the Trades Academies

Northland secures one of the Trades Academies

Tai Tokerau Trades Academy under the twin banners of Northland College and NSSPA (Northland Secondary School Principals’ Association) has secured one of the five spots offered by the Minister of Education, Anne Tolley. The Trades Academy has been operating at Northland College since 2006.

It is proposed that the Academy will operate six hubs with one of these hubs as a mobile unit to provide Trades taster programs to our rurally isolated secondary schools in Tai Tokerau.

The other five hubs will be located at NorthTEC and Kaitaia College in the Far North, Northland College in mid-North, Kerikeri High School in the East and Dargaville High School in the West and Tikipunga High School and NorthTEC in Whangarei.

The Academy is currently operating at Northland College and Tikipunga High School. It will open at Dargaville High School in 2010 and in Kaitaia College and Kerikeri High School by February 2011.

The Tai Tokerau Trades Academy is the result of collaboration among the Northland Secondary Schools, Iwi and community groups, NorthTEC, Regent Training Centre, BCITO, Telford Rural Polytechnic, Te Puni Kokiri, Ministry of Social Development, Housing NZ, NZ Housing Foundation, Culinary Institute in New Zealand and local industry partners.

The Academy will operate in cluster groups with the hub schools providing students from neighbouring secondary schools with an opportunity to enroll in the Trades Academy. The Academy will provide students with an opportunity initially to choose from Ag-Hort, carpentry, engineering and hospitality. New programs will be introduced later but will be dependent on the local and regional needs of iwi, communities and industry.

The Minister commented at a recent meeting in Whangarei that the Northland “proposal had a very strong collaborative approach with schools, iwi, tertiary providers, and industry and government agencies”.

The Academy provides students with practical experience and credits towards a recognized qualifications while still at school and leading to a seamless transition into Tertiary and Industry. This is because the students are mature, skilled and well-equipped when they leave school. They are monitored and mentored for one year after they leave school, to ensure their transition is successful.

ENDS

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