Waiariki awards secondary school Trades Academy graduates

6 November 2012

Waiariki awards its first secondary school Trades Academy graduates

The annual Eastern Bay of Plenty Trades Academy 2012 prize giving will be held this Friday, November 9, at 10.00am.

The academy provides fees-free tertiary training for secondary school students who are keen to begin studying part time at Waiariki Institute of Technology while continuing their secondary studies.

During their first year, students attend classes at Waiariki’s Whakatane campus one day each week; in their second year, they study at Waiariki two days per week. At the end of two successful years, the students will have earned their National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) and National Qualifications Framework (NQF) certificates in one of 11 trades.

The academy, which is available to students in eight Eastern Bay high schools, celebrated last year with a small prize giving at the Whakatane Campus. This year the prize giving will be a formal event, held at the Mataatua Wharenui, to acknowledge the first group of Year 2 students to have completed their qualifications.

“For these students this is an important event – many have been on a journey of self-discovery, experienced success for the first time, and for a number of students secured three qualifications: NCEA 2, Waiariki certificate and a national certificate. This is an amazing feat for a large percentage of our students,” said Rosemary Johnson, Waiariki trades academy development manager.

Guests of the event will include Waiariki’s new chief executive Professor Margaret Noble, who took the helm at Waiariki on October 1. Also attending will be Ministry of Education National Youth Guarantee Manager Arthur Graves, Waiariki managers, secondary school representatives and local community guests.

“This is an important day as we also acknowledge academy tutors who have supported our students to reach success,” Ms Johnson said. “They are a superb team who have made a real difference.”

We hope a member of your team can join us for this important community event celebrating student success and achievement.

ENDS

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