Education Minister praises Youth Guarantee efforts

Education Minister praises Youth Guarantee students for their efforts at NorthTec

Education Minister Anne Tolley congratulated NorthTec Youth Guarantee students for their efforts during a visit to NorthTec on Tuesday (subs 11 August).

Mrs Tolley visited NorthTec to meet with Youth Guarantee students at NorthTec’s Raumanga and Future Trades campuses in Whangarei.

Minister Tolley affirmed the Government’s ongoing commitment to Youth Guarantee during her visit. “I have allocated an additional 500 Youth Guarantee places nationally in 2011 and the programme has been included in my budget for the next five years,” she said. “Even as the economy recovers there will still be a need for a pathway for students in the years ahead.”

Minister Tolley enjoyed a demonstration of chocolate-making and barista skills by Youth Guarantee students who are learning those skills as part of their hospitality elective, before visiting Future Trades to meet with students who had taken part in automotive engineering and fabrication and welding electives on the programme.

NorthTec currently has more than 80 students on the programme, having recently been allocated an additional 22 places in July because of its success with the Youth Guarantee programme in the first semester.

Youth Guarantee was a new national initiative launched by the Government at the beginning of the year for 16-17 year olds who have not experienced success at school. It is a fees-free programme and provides a mixture of classroom-based and hands-on learning with strong pastoral support and embedded literacy and numeracy skills.

Students undertake foundation learning and can then choose between electives in the hospitality and trades programmes.

NorthTec’s Interim Chief Executive, Paul Binney, welcomed the Minister’s affirmation of the future of the Youth Guarantee programme, in particular the news that she had included the programme in her budget for the next five years. “This is great news for students in the north,” he said. “We believe that the Youth Guarantee programme provides an excellent pathway for students into further training and education and into jobs. We are delighted that the Minister values the programme and the outcomes that it is producing for young people.”

NorthTec hopes to be allocated 140 Youth Guarantee places in 2011 with students studying on the programme in Whangarei, the mid-North and Kaitaia.

ENDS

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