In its third year, the annual event is a cooperative initiative, involving Te Wananga -o -Aotearoa, Te Wananga-o-Raukawa, Massey University, START Youth Transition Services, and UCOL, designed especially for Maori learning choices.

The Expo has a number of unique features. Although four training organisations will take part, material is presented according to career and programme topics.

UCOL’s Community Liaison Officer Gloria Evans says the Kia Maia Expo is the only careers event to do this. “The displays are divided into programme topics, such as business, science and health, rather than displays for each institution,” she says. “Visitors can then go to an area of study they are interested in, and compare each provider’s programmes.

“It’s is a great opportunity for young Maori between 11 and 24 to check out their options for the future.”

The Kia Maia Careers Expo will be held on Friday 25^th May 2012 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the UCOL Atrium off Princess Street.

Organisers expect a large turnout from the Palmerston North, Tararua and Horowhenua regions, with busloads of school and mature students, and their supporters coming in.

There will be interactive displays and entertainment by school Kapa Haka groups.

Where: UCOL Atrium, Princess Street entrance.

When: Friday 25 May from 10.00am – 1.00pm.

Entries for the competition also included 80 from UCOL students and 80 from Massey University students.

UCOL’s Deputy Chief Executive Strategy Clare Crawley says this early stage creativity confirms the region’s strength as an excellent environment for young, entrepreneurial talent, supported by the presence of two leading tertiary education institutions.  “It’s a strength that allows us to take a very positive view of the future of Manawatu, as these young people add to growth and progress,” she says.

Innovate Manawatu announce the Top Ten finalists at a special event in Palmerston North tonight (Thursday).

The ten finalists were selected from a total of 350 entries for this year’s Dragon Den-style competition. The prize pool is worth $40,000, with the winner to receive $10,000 cash. All finalists receive $1000 and entry to the BCC (Bio Commerce Centre) market validation programme.

One of the finalists will also receive the UCOL Youth Award with a further $1000 and extra support to develop their entry.

Clare Crawley says the finalists’ entries include some stunning inventions, concepts and solutions. “They are now all in line to get support for their ideas, with the Innovate Manawatu aim to turn ideas into realities.”

“We’re also pleased to see one of our third year Bachelor of Applied Visual Imaging students in the finals,” she adds.

Of all of the entries, nearly 65 per cent were ideas for a product, 35 per cent for a service.

BCC Business Growth Manager Warren Bebb says 32 entries made it to Stage Three of the competition. “They pitched their ideas to the Judges, who then choose the top 10 to progress to Stage Four which involves rigorous testing of the idea (known as market validation). After that the Top 10 will do a final pitch to the judges who will choose the winner, to be announced on 31 July.”

The BCC secures investment funding to shape and grow technology businesses; they offer management support and mentoring for start-ups; and facilitate the commercialisation of new technology from the lab to industry.

In a record for UCOL, four teams will take part in the V48 Hour Film Festival. New Zealand’s largest film-making contest starts at 7.00pm on Friday night and ends exactly 48 hours later on Sunday evening.

UCOL Video lecturer in the Bachelor of Applied Visual Imaging (BAVI) programme Mel Edmon says, “This year the V48 Hour is huge for us. We have three second year student teams entered and one third year student team,” she says. “The second years are required to participate as part of their course work. The third years just couldn’t help themselves, and are doing it because they loved the experience so much last year.”

The teams prepare for a frenetic weekend of film-making.

Third year BAVI students Dan Scott and Mike Watson are part of Team Mo Faux. The eight member crew is made up of students who ‘bonded in adversity’ during last year’s competition. “The V48 Hour is a real adrenalin buzz,” says Dan. “We have an advantage this year as we know what to expect from the weekend – lots of dramas and not much sleep!”

Second year BAVI student and producer of the Take 9 crew Alice Johansen, says the expected pressure of the competition excites her, “I don’t scare easily.”

She says the three second year teams are working closely together in preparation for the chaotic two days.

“We have been scouting possible locations, gaining filming permission where necessary and forming basic story lines,” she says. “There is a lot of behind-the-scenes planning over and above the film-making process. We’ve had to arrange the catering for the weekend and amongst everything else, have managed to perfect the recipe for fake blood.”

The 48 Hour Film Festival is also part of the UCOL Diploma in Performing Arts students’ assessment this year. Formal auditions were held and the budding actors have been cast to allocated teams.

Jaime Dorner, Programme Leader of the Diploma in Performing Arts, believes the V48 Hour competition is an incredible opportunity to incorporate a collaborative process between disciplines. “Acting and film-making are codependent on each other, so we are creating a synergy which will be a learning tool, as well as a more professional product”, says Jaime.

It is the sixth year that teams of students from UCOL have taken part and the second year it has been integrated as part of the second year BAVI course assessment.

Mel says the contest is a great way for students to learn by doing. “They have to plan well and work together to meet a very tight deadline. “It is a brilliant assessment tool in an environment that you can’t recreate in the classroom.”

All teams are assigned a movie genre at 7.00 pm on the Friday night. They must then write their script, produce storyboards, arrange locations, costumes and props before their shoot begins on the Saturday morning.

Editing and post production takes place as the film is still being shot. All entries must be submitted by the 7.00 pm Sunday deadline.

Dan Scott says the highly charged film-making competition has taught him a lot about how he, and others, performs under pressure.

“We quickly learnt how to build on our strengths – there’s not enough time to build on your weaknesses!”

Photo: The teams prepare for a frenetic weekend of film-making.

She is one of nine finalists in the annual Weston Milling competition to find the best apprentice bakers in New Zealand. The competition is supported by the Baking Industry Association of New Zealand.

Larissa will join the eight other finalists at a two day training course with baking professionals at Heavens Training Facility in Napier before going on to the final bake-off at the Fine Food Show in Auckland on 18 and 19 June.

The training course will include an event in Napier on Tuesday 15 May organised by the Baking Industry Association to allow employers and training providers to meet the Top 9.

Larissa, who is completing the six-month Certificate in Bakery and Pastry Level 3 at UCOL, was intrigued by the process required to reach the finals. “I had to bake a three braided white loaf, a fruit strudel and an American chocolate brownie.  The entry conditions are quite strict for competitions like this. For example, the brownies had to be a specific size and cut a certain way.” When the entries were baked and carefully packed by Larissa, they were couriered off to Auckland for judging.

Thirty nine year-old Larissa left school at 15 without a formal qualification and is new to tertiary education. She says she is learning a lot from her UCOL lecturers and Chef Lecturer Mark Smith who nominated her for the competition and will accompany her to the finals in Auckland.

But Larissa didn’t have to start from scratch when she began the certificate programme at UCOL: She says her love of baking came from her mother. “I was trained at the kitchen bench with Mum. Now it’s one of my greatest pleasures that my own 11 year old daughter is learning from me at the kitchen bench. She loves it and she’s already talking about following me into formal training at UCOL.”

The six month Certificate in Bakery and Pastry Level 3 programme covers the basics of baking and pastry production, including how to make breads and dough, hot and cold desserts and pastry goods and is offered in Palmerston North and at UCOL Wairarapa. Students also learn how to produce commercial volumes of baked goods and pastry to be sold in retail shops or restaurants.

Larissa intends to seek a bakery job in Palmerston North when she has completed the programme.

Mike is one of 19 students studying towards the music qualification that was launched earlier this year at the Masterton campus to complement the lively local music scene.

Big on live performance, the programme is designed to prepare graduates for the industry whether as a singer, songwriter or musician, or on to further studies in specialised areas such as audio engineering or band management.

Mike Babbington (left) rehearses with band mates Nikora Rongonui and drummer Joey Kawana.

Mike has played drums and percussion in the Masterton District Brass Band for a couple of years and is now aiming to master the guitar.

“We learn about a variety of musical styles and about the business of music,” says Mike.

Led by UCOL tutor Cody Field, the 34 week programme is designed to ‘fill in the gaps’ and give students a good foundation. “There are a wide variety of skill levels amongst the students,” says Cody. “In addition to learning from us, they help each other and share their strengths.”

Cody says there has been a demand for a music programme in the region for a long time and he is excited to be a part of the highly qualified team of tutors that deliver the one year programme.

Cody is joined by guitar tutor Paddy Bleakley from Wellington, vocals and technical tutor Graham Johnston from UCOL Palmerston North. Well-known local musician Warren Maxwell from Fat Freddy’s Drop and Trinity Roots, who specializes in studio music recording, also lectures the students in the business and management area of the industry.

The programme will soon operate from a custom designed music suite presently being developed. The on campus facilities include two sound-proofed band rehearsal rooms, instrument practice rooms for 1:1 tutorships and an iMac lab for the 13 hours per week of classroom tuition and practical tutorials covering music theory, composition, and arranging music. Recording will take place at Warren Maxwell’s Stonefeather studio in South Wairarapa.

The students perform regular live gigs around the region with, focusing on different styles throughout the year including Rock, Homegrown, Reggae, Blues, Pop, and Urban.

They have their first public performance at Joxer Dalys in Masterton on Wednesday night, playing Blues and Rock n Roll.

In the meantime, Mike practices his guitar with his classmates as they prepare for future stardom in front of their hometown audiences.

“I can’t wait,” he says.

When: Wednesday 2 May at 7:30pm.

Where: Joxer Dalys in Masterton.

The event recognises the achievements of those in the Palmerston North, Manawatu, Rangitikei and Tararua regions who have gained their qualifications in 2011.

UCOL’s Executive Dean of Trades and Technology Kelly Gay says, as a big player in trades training in the region, UCOL is delighted to support and sponsor the event.

“UCOL is part of the pathway, along with Industry Training Organisations, that ensures students have a smooth progression to becoming tradespeople” he says. “We are excited to be associated with an event that celebrates the graduation of apprentices into tradespeople and to recognize their achievement.”

Palmerston North Mayor Jono Naylor will present the Mayoral Award to an apprentice who has achieved outstanding success, and MP for Palmerston North Iain Lees-Galloway will present the Employers Award to businesses recognised for their contribution to employee industry training.

The graduates trained in retail, hairdressing, gas fitting, plumbing, automotive engineering/machining/refinishing, joinery, civil construction, flooring, telecommunications, printing, sign-making, community support services, carpentry and water reticulation will attend the ceremony.

A procession from the Regent on Broadway to Highflyers will be held following the ceremony.

When: 6.00 pm, Friday 27 April.

Where: Regent on Broadway.

The newly re-vamped, centralized space now combines a café, learning support, disability support, health nurse and student association all together under one roof.

The area is also home to the library service, which includes computers for study purposes, wireless access for laptops and programme relevant online and textbook resources.

Campus Manager Angela Hewitt says the Hub on the upper campus is very appealing for students. “The carpet and seating have made it a very comfortable place to study or relax in.”

UCOL Wairarapa’s carpentry and joinery students will also benefit from a brand new facility. The new construction building will have all the equipment needed for construction activities covered in UCOL’s Certificate in Carpentry, which offers students skills equivalent to those learned in the first year of a building apprenticeship.

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. UCOL’s Certificate in Joinery students will have the opportunity to work on the house build, also, in Semester 2.

Nursing students practice blood pressure monitoring in the new clinic facilities.

New science and clinical laboratories are already being well used by nursing, health science, sports, and beauty students as part their learning experience: they replace existing facilities that did not meet UCOL’s earthquake safety requirements.

The new Certificate in Contemporary Music Performance programme will soon operate from a purpose designed music suite presently being developed. The on campus facilities include two sound-proofed band rehearsal rooms, instrument practice rooms for 1:1 tutorships and an iMac lab to accommodate frequent band rehearsals, 13 hours per week of classroom tuition and practical tutorials.

“We are proud of our student success rates. We know that is mostly about excellent teaching,” says Angela. “But it’s also about having up-to-date facilities and a campus culture that supports our students and encourages them to do their best.”

“The exciting part is there are even more campus upgrades to come,” she says. “Watch this space!”

Kathryn will teach at the Whanganui Glass School when she arrives next term. Whanganui UCOL Head of Creative Programmes Sally Jane deSalazar is looking forward to having Kathryn on board, and said Kathryn is a dedicated hot glass and kiln glass artist in her own right, and well qualified for the role. The three year glass diploma taught at Whanganui’s Glass School is an internationally recognised programme and is not taught anywhere else in New Zealand.

Whanganui Mayor Annette said “Glass art is an important part of what makes Whanganui different. Our Glass School graduates are successful as artists both nationally and internationally. Glass art gives us a special and exciting point of difference and attracts visitors, as well as glass students and artists, to our district. The students and their work add to the vibrancy of our community. The status of the Whanganui Glass School is reflected in our ability to attract an overseas tutor of this calibre to Whanganui. We look forward to welcoming Kathryn to our community.”

Kathryn received a BA (First) in Glass and Ceramics in 2004, followed by an MA in Glass (Distinction) in 2005. In 2005 she was awarded a two year Next Move placement from the Crafts Council in conjunction with the University of Sunderland. This enabled her to establish her thriving business. Whilst working with glass she has developed innovative techniques based on the layering of screen printed transfers and sandblasted patterns and also flocked detailing which creates a luxurious velveteen texture.

In 2007 she began a three year PhD research project at the University of Sunderland funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council to investigate the areas of hot glass and print. Over the last four years she has received grants from Arts Council (North East), Creativitiworks and Cohesion Glass Network. In 2007 she won best ‘newcomer’ in the Journal Cultural Awards. She was a North East finalist in the Shell Young Entrepreneur of the Year Competition and won the Creative Industries Category in the Sunderland Blue Print Competition.

In addition to studying and running her extremely successful business, Kathryn also undertakes adult education teaching for both Newcastle and Gateshead Council. As well as working extremely hard she is a keen Irish dancer, competing to World Championship standard. Kathryn’s passion for Irish dancing and the colourful costumes are apparent in the bold and vibrant colour palette she favours and have a profound and exhilarating effect. Kathryn’s web site is www.kathrynwightmanglass.co.uk.

Kathryn fills a vacancy left by the retirement of Lionel Teer. The interview panel was a representative group from the Wanganui District Council, Whanganui UCOL, and local glass artist, Katie Brown. The Whanganui Glass School is a partnership between UCOL and the Wanganui District Council.

Ian has been teaching photography at UCOL for 10 years and F11 says he lives what he teaches, and practices what he preaches. “He’s a Polaroid aficionado, and we’re delighted to share some of his instant pictures with you.”

The featured photographs include several taken by Ian during research by a team of Bachelor of Applied Visual Imaging lecturers on trends in typography in signage.

On teaching, he says: “There’s an old saying: ‘Those who can do, and those who can’t teach’. But I’d rather stand up in front of 200 people at a wedding (which I’ve done hundreds of times) than, tethered to a 40” screen, shoot a portrait in a third-year class and face the prospect of — if that shot isn’t perfect first time — having 20 critics picking it apart… and they can smell fear. The other side of that saying is: “Those who can, can’t always teach” – respect to all teachers.

Boggie, Palmerston North, New Zealand. Polaroid SX-70 Land camera Supercolor Autofocus, SX-70 film. © Ian Rotherham

“The positive side of teaching, which outweighs any negatives, is seeing people who once ‘snapped the cat’ grow into creators of images that make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up because they are so amazing.

“I also learn from my students — their experiments, their photographic voices, and so much more. Being in the situation of constantly being asked ‘why’ makes me find out. It makes me think about the bigger questions.”

As well as teaching, Ian is also a practicing photographer. His exhibition of signage photographs is showing at Square Edge in Palmerston North. His current project is a study of the state house aesthetic to be shot in Savage Crescent in Palmerston North, one of the first planned communities of state houses.

Ian’s number one tip on being a photographer: “Enjoy the problem solving, scariness, and geekiness of photography, as that is where you get your emotional rewards. If you don’t enjoy what is involved in creating a finished work, don’t do photography, as that is what being a photographer means.”

You can see Ian’s photographs at URL for F11 and at https://www.facebook.com/Ian.Rotherham.Photographer.Lecturer

Body Landscape, Matamau, New Zealand. Canon 5DMkII. © Ian Rotherham

The scholarships are aimed at teenagers 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.

Funded by the Ministry of Education, and administered and delivered by UCOL, the scheme allows students to participate in tertiary education without accumulating debt. 

UCOL’s sixty Youth Guarantee first semester students  are studying towards certificates in Hairdressing, Electrical and Related Trades, Science and Health, Automotive Engineering,  Automotive Panel and Paint, Motorsport, Tourism, Travel, Professional Cookery, Baking and Pastry, Hospitality, Trade Skills, Tertiary Study Skills L1 and 2, Fashion and Beauty and National Certificate Mechanical Engineering. 

Bonnie says, “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.”

As they accepted the scholarship awards in the ceremony, many of the students indicated their intention to carry on after this first step to further advancement in programmes such as nursing, medical imaging and more advanced trade programmes. 

“We are delighted that we have Youth Guarantee students on our Wairarapa and Whanganui campuses this year, as well as Palmerston North,” says Bonnie.  

Bonnie told the students, “Your lecturers want you to be successful, and all the Student Experience Team are there to ensure you have the support you need. Work hard, use the help. I want to see you graduate and go on with further study or employment.” 

Photos: UCOL’s Youth Guarantee students gathered to receive their scholarships.