Wednesday, 01 September 2010
A SIGNIFICANT new initiative to get school leavers into jobs has been given the green light by the Government.
But while the innovative Eastern Bay Trades Academy – one of just nine across New Zealand given the go-ahead last month – has been widely acclaimed, concerns remain over its funding.
The academy, which will embrace seven secondary schools and see students enjoy dual enrolment at school and at Waiariki Institute of Technology, is seen as a major tool to address youth unemployment in the Eastern Bay.
Last month, education minister Anne Tolley announced it as one of just nine trades academies to open around the country in February after whittling down an initial 117 expressions of interest.
Trident High is the lead school in the scheme which its principal Peter Tootell describes as “a brilliant concept”.
“This model is so good that it will eventually be rolled out across New Zealand,” Mr Tootell said.
“When kids finish here, we hate to see them walking out of school and on to the streets.
“The trades academy will make a positive difference to a significant number of students across all the secondary schools in the Eastern Bay.”
However, while congratulating Mrs Tolley on bringing the initiative to fruition, Mr Tootell said she needed to lobby harder to get extra funding behind it.
His concerns centre on the school’s operations grant which comes from the Ministry of Education and is based on the number of students at the school.
The ministry plans to cut the operations grant for each trades academy student by 20 per cent on the basis that they will be spending one day in five at Waiariki.
If Trident enrols about 30 students in the academy, as it anticipates, that could cost it almost $50,000 a year.
“We are still negotiating with the ministry as we believe the project is not adequately funded,” Mr Tootell said.
“The ministry removing funding from a school’s operations grant for trades academy students is not acceptable.”
He said having students going to Waiariki one day a week would have minimum impact on Trident’s costs – “We will still hold classes and have to staff them, even if one or two students are away that day.”
Mr Tootell revealed that two of the Eastern Bay secondary schools in the scheme were hesitating about committing to it because their operations grant would be cut.
“The ministry says it has no money but other new programmes are starting up and new money is found for them.”
He cited the Gateway Programme which puts secondary students into workplaces with no cut in the operations grant to take account of their absence from school.
The Eastern Bay Trades Academy covers Trident, Whakatane High School, Opotiki College, Kawerau College, Edgecumbe College, Te Whanau a Apanui Area School and Te Wharekura o Ruatoki, with Waiariki as the tertiary provider. Students will be dual enrolled.
From February, it will cater for 105 students and offer two-year tertiary programmes in automotive engineering; agriculture; forestry; electrical engineering; chef-hospitality; building construction and allied trades; mechanical engineering; creative technology (fashion); and business administration and customer service.
A new health-nursing programme is being developed for 2013.
Students will study 80 per cent at secondary school and 20 per cent at Waiariki in year one, and 60 per cent secondary and 40 per cent Waiariki in year two.
The vocational studies will include a blend of theory and practical and in year two work experience in partnership with local employers will be introduced.
The academy aims to provide a seamless transition between secondary and tertiary education and give students the skills and qualifications to step straight into a job.
Unemployment in the Bay Of Plenty is running at 7.8 per cent – above the national average – and, according to the June statistics, almost 30 per cent of those claiming an unemployment benefit are aged 18 to 24 years.