Innovative Centre to Improve Student Success

Media Release

8 November 2010

 MIT Launches Innovative Centre to Improve Student Success

It’s no secret that New Zealand has a high rate of student disengagement from education.

At least 20% of our young people are not involved in education, employment or training.

Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) has created an innovative centre designed to promote understanding around the issues of disengagement, to articulate a variety of pathways through school and tertiary education, and increase student participation which ultimately leads to better success in both training and employment.

The Centre for Studies in Multiple Pathways seeks to align both employers’ and students’ needs through events such as seminars conferences and international symposiums.

Centre Director, Dr. Stuart Middleton, says it’s imperative we act now to re-engage our young students.

“We have established the Centre for Studies in Multiple Pathways in order to continue to develop responses to the issues of students who are not responding in conventional settings,” Dr. Middleton explains.

Multiple Pathways, put simply, means the creation of individual and flexible learning pathways for students which are both academic and vocational.

MIT is already taking the lead in this type of educational programme with the establishment of the School of Secondary-Tertiary Studies, which blends a traditional secondary programme with trades-based learning at a tertiary level.

“We are very encouraged in the way that young people are responding to the opportunities offered by the Tertiary High School” says Dr. Middleton. “I am excited at the general mood for change that is emerging in New Zealand around pathways for young people that can lead to success educationally and in terms of finding employment.”

MIT launches the Centre for Studies in Multiple Pathways on 12 November.

 
ends

© Scoop Media