Youth Scholarship Awards

14 September 2011

Youth Scholarship Awards

Thirty 16 and 17 year olds were recognized at a scholarship award ceremony at UCOL on Wednesday, receiving certificates in front of proud family members and UCOL teaching and support staff.

These young people are part of the government’s Youth Guarantee Scheme, which gives them an opportunity to improve their educational achievements funded by the Ministry of Education which UCOL administers as a scholarship. Youth Guarantee scholarships are for 16 and 17 year olds who are ready for a new educational challenge, have made a start towards NCEA, want to enrol in full time tertiary study, and want to learn practical skills.

UCOL has fifty five youth guarantee students, the students receiving these certificates are the second semester intake. Students are studying towards certificates in Hairdressing, Electrical and Related Trades, Science and Health, Panel and Paint, Motorsport, Tourism, Travel, Professional Cookery, Hospitality, Trade Skills, Tertiary Study Skills, Fashion and Beauty, and National Certificates in Motor Industry, Early Childhood Education, Mechanical Engineering, and Welding.

Bonnie Dewart, UCOL’s Deputy Chief Executive (Academic) said that the students receiving youth guarantee scholarships are a motivated group of young people who are great to have on campus. “The Youth Guarantee Scheme is important to UCOL because we are passionate about providing opportunities for the young people in our region to succeed, and be given a chance to study in a supportive, tertiary environment. It’s essentially a scholarship, it’s an opportunity that not everyone is given. We only have 55 youth guarantee places here at UCOL. Students have the opportunity to participate in tertiary education without accumulating debt. We want them to be successful and go on to enrol in the next programme up on their journey towards employment”.

“Youth Guarantee is a partnership – the government provides funding, UCOL provides support and the programmes, and students put in the effort, turn up to class, involve themselves in their studies, succeed in gaining a tertiary qualification and the opportunity to go onto further study and the job that they want” says Bonnie.

ENDS

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