11 February 2011

Education Minister Anne Tolley has officially launched the Eastern Bay of Plenty Trades Academy in Whakatane, which will offer vocational trades and technology training to 105 students as part of the Government’s Youth Guarantee.

Seven Eastern Bay schools, led by Trident High School, will work in partnership with the Waiariki Institute of Technology and employers to enable students to earn NCEA credits and a tertiary qualification, while gaining practical skills in the workplace.

Trades training will be available in agriculture, forestry, automotive engineering, business administration and a number of other areas.

“This is the inaugural year for Trades Academies, with eight opening around the country, and I want to congratulate all of those who made sure the Eastern Bay of Plenty Trades Academy is at the forefront of this exciting new venture in education,” says Mrs Tolley.

“16 and 17 year olds who were at risk of dropping out of education will now have the opportunity to earn a qualification while learning practical skills, which will give them a much smoother pathway to employment.

“It will boost their confidence and allow students to reach their potential, while benefiting local businesses and the economy by producing young people who are better-prepared to enter the workplace. It will also help address the serious youth unemployment problem in the area.”

During the first year, students will spend four days a week at their school and one day at Waiariki Institute of Technology, and two days a week at Waiariki in the second year.

Over seven hundred students will attend Trades Academies in the year ahead, free of charge, as part of the wider Youth Guarantee, which is aimed at 16 and 17 year olds who are at risk of disengaging from education and skills training.

“We will continue to make the education system more flexible for students who are at risk of falling out of education, or who are better motivated in a different setting," says Mrs Tolley.

ENDS

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