Building will be the biggie at UCOL Open Day

News Release

Tuesday 24 January 2012
Building will be the biggie at UCOL Open Day
This week’s Open Day at UCOL Wairarapa will have a focus on carpentry, as well as other vocational programmes available at the campus.

A kitset mini house will be amongst the activities on offer at Open Day which runs from 11 am to 1 pm on Wednesday 25 January. The materials for the five square metre house, donated to UCOL Wairarapa by timber company JNL, can be built and dismantled in less than a day and is used to teach Carpentry students.

Programme Leader Brett Tickner says anyone who wants to pick up a drill, a measuring tape or a hammer at the Open Day can lend a hand with the building.

Elsewhere on the UCOL campus, other, bigger construction projects are underway to provide new, improved facilities for students studying at the campus this year.

They include a brand new facility for UCOL Wairarapa’s carpentry and joinery programmes. Students will be able to build houses in a purpose built area on the upper campus’ Chapel Street frontage, in real, on-the-job conditions. The new construction building will have all the equipment needed for construction activities covered in UCOL’s Certificate in Carpentry, which offers students skills equivalent to those learned in the first year of a building apprenticeship.

The National Certificate in Joinery offers foundation skills that prepare students for work within the industry. There are some free fee places available for 16 and 17 year olds who want to leave school but also gain some qualifications, as part of the Youth Guarantee Scheme. People interested in this, and other Youth Guarantee programmes such as automotive, hairdressing, cookery, early childhood education, health science or business administration and computing, should contact Brett Tickner at UCOL on 946 2300. Programmes start in February.

New science and clinical laboratories will also be ready this year for students in programmes such as nursing, health science, sports, and beauty. Campus Manager Angela Hewitt said these laboratories will be used often, as part of the students’ learning experience: they replace existing facilities that do not meet UCOL’s earthquake safety requirements.

Students will also enjoy a re-vamped, centralized place on campus for all student services. The café, learning support, disability support, health nurse and student association will all be together under one roof in a centre on the upper campus. The area will also be home to the library service, which includes computers for study purposes, wireless access for laptops and programme relevant online and textbook resources.

Work on the new facilities continued over the Christmas break, and will be ready in mid February 2012, before most students arrive for the start of the study year. Campus Manager Angela Hewitt says there will be minimal disruption for students who start in January, and temporary library facilities will be available.

Angela adds that the new facilities will give students an even greater opportunity to succeed in their studies. “We’re already proud of our success rates at UCOL Wairarapa. We know that’s mostly about excellent teaching. But it’s also about having accessible and up-to-date facilities and providing a campus culture that supports our students and encourages them to do their best.

“Come along to Open Day and hear all about it!” she says.

ENDS