Youth Guarantee students inspired

Youth Guarantee students inspired by engineering at NorthTec

Students on the Youth Guarantee programme at NorthTec are being inspired to embark on careers in engineering by combining hands-on work, creative thinking and fun.

NorthTec tutor Leon Ducrot has used his 12 hours each week with this semester’s group of students to teach them that they can achieve anything with imagination and engineering skills. “It’s all about creating the spark of an idea. Whatever you can imagine you can make, if you coordinate your hands and your brain.”

Students have each made their own ‘NorthTec Chariot’ on the course with some students customising their chariots for particular uses, such as their paper run. “All of the students get a set of plans for the project. They have to interpret engineering drawings and learn embedded literacy and numeracy skills such as adding, subtracting and measuring angles along the way.”

The end products were test driven by the students last week with Leon providing an extra surprise when an automotive student appeared on a motorised version of the ‘NorthTec Chariot’ that had been put together in Leon’s own time.

Leon’s creativity is certainly paying off, with all of the students learning new skills and some deciding to pursue a career in engineering.

Student Steven Carse said he intends to return to NorthTec in 2011 to study engineering. “The course has been really good. I’ve never done anything like this before.” Matthew Whale is also considering studying engineering and says that his parents are pleased with the Youth Guarantee programme.

“They’re a good bunch,” said tutor Leon Ducrot. “They’ve put in a good, honest effort having started with very little confidence. Six weeks ago none of them had any skills in this area.

I’m really pleased that they have finished their chariots and that we’ve been able to show them that engineering can be fun.”

The students will be gaining experience in NorthTec’s automotive engineering workshop in semester two.

NorthTec is the Tai Tokerau (Northland) region's largest provider of tertiary education, with campuses and learning centres in Whangarei, Kerikeri, Rāwene, Dargaville, Kaikohe and Kaitaia. NorthTec also has over 60 community-based delivery points from Coatesville in rural Rodney to Ngataki in the Far North.

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