New Facilities at UCOL

20 December 2011

New Facilities at UCOL

Some great new facilities will be ready for UCOL Wairarapa students at the start of the new study year.

Construction programmes such as carpentry and joinery will have a brand new facility to work from. Students will be able to build houses in a purpose built area on the upper campus’ Chapel Street frontage, in real, on-the-job conditions. A big new construction building will have all the equipment needed for construction activities covered in UCOL’s National Certificate in Carpentry, which offers students skills equivalent to those learned in the first year of a building apprenticeship.

The joinery programme offers foundation skills that prepare students for work within the industry. There are some free fee places available for 16 and 17 year olds who want to leave school but also gain some qualifications, as part of the Youth Guarantee Scheme. People interested in this, and other Youth Guarantee programmes such as automotive, hairdressing, cookery, early childhood education, health science or business administration and computing, should contact Sharon Jolliffe at UCOL on 946 2300 up until 21 December and then from 9 January 2012. Programmes start in February 2012.

New science and clinical laboratories will also be ready next year for students in programmes such as nursing, health science, sports, and beauty. Campus Manager Angela Hewitt said these laboratories will be used often as part of the students’ learning experience and they replace existing facilities that do not meet UCOL’s earthquake safety requirements.

Students will also enjoy a re-vamped, centralized place on campus for all student services. Located on the upper campus, the café, learning support, disability support, health nurse and students association will all be together under one roof. The area will also be home to the library service, which includes computers for study purposes, wireless access for laptops and relevant online and textbook resources.

All work starts over the Christmas break, and will be ready in mid February 2012, in advance of most students’ arrival for the start of the study year. There will be minimal disruption for students who start in January, and temporary library facilities will be available.

ENDS

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