UCOL BLOG

UCOL caps were presented to celebrate the success of the Youth Guarantee Scheme students at a ceremony at the Palmerston North campus last week.

Each student that has completed their programme received a cap from UCOL Deputy Chief Executive Academic Bonnie Dewart as recognition of their accomplishment.

Certificates for achievement in Numeracy and Literacy were also presented. Read More: “Ceremony caps off year of study”…

More than forty young students will celebrate the completion of their year’s study under the Youth Guarantee Scheme at UCOL’s Palmerston North campus on Thursday.

Each student that has successfully completed their programme will receive a cap to signify their achievement, in front of friends and families at the ceremony.

In its third year, the scheme targets 16 and 17 year olds who are at risk of disengaging from education or training and gives them the opportunity to study, free of charge. Read More: “UCOL celebrates Youth Guarantee student success”…

UCOL is saying thank you to neighbours for their patience and support during the building of the new Regional Trades Centre in Amesbury Street.

Dean of Trades and Technology Kelly Gay says an invitation to a special event tonight has gone out to local business people, retailers and others in the area surrounding the new facility, in the central city.

The $10m state-of-the-art trades building – the region’s largest trades training centre – opened for the use of students and staff in March this year, with finishing touches still underway. Building started in October last year, with local building company McMillan and Lockwood pulling out all the stops to meet the March 12 first semester deadline. Read More: “Trades Centre neighbours dropping in for a cuppa”…

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.  Read More: “Young UCOL students challenged to succeed”…

Manawatu’s new $10m state-of-the-art trades building will be open as planned on 12 March for UCOL trades students.

Local building company McMillan and Lockwood have pulled out all the stops to make sure students enrolled in UCOL’s Trades programmes this year start their studies in their new facilities in Princess Street.  The Trades building will be open for business on 12 March, with students spending their first day learning about and exploring their new environment.

Members of the public and regional industry representatives will also be invited to view the new facilities – the region’s largest trades training centre – later in March.

The new building covers 5,315 square metres, with shared space and enough room for students to build several houses. It contains the very latest industry-fit equipment and allows UCOL teaching staff to combine traditional skills, hands-on project-based learning with new teaching technology, including phones, I-Pads, YouTube and video. Read More: “Trades Building Open for Business”…

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.