Aotearoa’s fastest-growing education platform MyMahi has combined forces with Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and ACC to improve the way young people are learning to drive.

MyMahi, a Kiwi-owned learning and pathways hub, has partnered with government website Drive to create an innovative one-stop-shop service for young people wanting to get their driver’s licence.

“MyMahi is a free digital dashboard environment that helps young people work out who they are and where they could go, particularly focusing on strengths,” says MyMahi co-founder Jeff King.

“As well as helping young people with Kiwisaver, mentoring and well-being, goal setting, and pathways to work, we can now support users with the important task of getting their driver’s license.”

As of this month, MyMahi’s 70,000 users can log into their online profile and access Drive with the click of a button, where they’ll find interactive games, and step-by-step information to help them get their license.

King says combining Drive’s resources with MyMahi, which is used by over 240 organisations and schools around Aotearoa, meant young people are less likely to experience platform overload.

“Getting their license is just another thing for them to have to remember to do, when they already have so many platforms they need to access for different reasons. But when you have a one-stop-shop, you don’t have that concern so much,” King says.

While the majority of MyMahi’s users are schools, they’re currently working with a number of organisations supporting NEETs to transition into work or further education. In addition, Teen Parent Units are also using MyMahi.

“If you don’t have a license, how do you get to work if you live somewhere without suitable public transport? A license enables mobility and is also a form of ID.”

Drive Product Owner Simon O’Brien says as well as helping young people to get their license, Drive is designed to help create safer and more competent drivers.

“We’re always trying to optimise our programme and make the Drive Road Code and Drive Go mobile phone app more engaging for young people, because obviously technology moves very quickly,” O’Brien says. “We continuously look at ways to simplify the information and introduce more animation, videos and illustrations so it’s as interactive as possible. It makes learning the road rules, and learning to drive, much more memorable for our target audience.”

Drive recently launched a new homepage that makes accessing different licenses quick, easy and engaging, and it has been co-designed by young drivers and education and game experts.

A free official practice test is also available for users who complete a portion of the road code activities and replicates the experience of sitting your license at the AA.

“The official practice test has been really positively received because people find the process of sitting their learner’s license quite stressful. We make it reflect the test you’ll actually get be sitting, with a timer and everything.”

Research by Drive shows young people enjoy using platforms that track how they’re progressing towards an ultimate goal, with rewards and recommendations for next steps. MyMahi has followed a similar model since launching in 2018.

“MyMahi has a strong reputation and great relationships with schools and young people,” O’Brien says. “We were really pleased to be able to set up a partnership where we can leverage off that.”

He says traffic coming to Drive from MyMahi is doing more, staying for longer, completing more of the road code units, and coming back more frequently.

Steve Dimakis of Strategy, Drive's agency, introduced the two digital platforms earlier this year.

“I’ve worked with Jeff in the past with his business Kintal Apps and when MyMahi came about, the team had a chat to me and it felt like a great place for Drive to be discovered by the right audience,” Dimakis says.

“Working with a platform that makes practical qualifications easier to find for young people was a no-brainer for me. It seems there’s a bright future burgeoning.”

© Scoop Media