U-Skills Academy students celebrated

Students from 35 secondary schools around the regions attended with their friends and family.  

All students were presented with a Certificate of Attendance, and there were special awards for Outstanding Student, Improvement, and Dedication.

Laura McIntyre, who completed the U-Skills Academy Health and Automotive programmes in 2015 and 2016, was a guest speaker at the Palmerston North prize-giving.  Miss McIntyre says her experiences in the U-Skills Academy programmes gave her the confidence to volunteer at a school in Fiji after she finished secondary school.  

“If I hadn’t done those U-Skills Academy programmes, I wouldn’t have gone to Fiji to volunteer for six months. I was home schooled, so U-Skills Academy helped me to become social and take the steps to becoming an adult.” 

“My advice to students is to not say no when opportunities like U-Skills Academy come their way.” 

UCOL | Te Pūkenga Executive Director Student Success Dr Nicky Van der Bergh says the growth of the U-Skills Academy programmes over the years would not have been possible without the support of the secondary schools.

“When the U-Skills Academy programmes first started in 2012, we had 81 enrolled students. This year 302 students completed programmes. Part of this success is how students and schools have embraced U-Skills Academy programmes as extensions of what is offered in the classroom.” 

U-Skills Academy programmes give secondary school students the option of learning at UCOL | Te Pūkenga or UCOL | Te Pūkenga-approved sites one day a week and going to school for the remainder of the week. U-Skills Academy programmes focus on giving students industry-relevant skills and count towards NCEA. They also give students a taste of what it’s like to study at UCOL | Te Pūkenga after they finish secondary school. 

“A notable outcome from the U-Skills Academy programmes is that students tend to show greater engagement and participation, not only in these programme but also at school” said Dr Van der Bergh.

UCOL | Te Pūkenga is working with the Ministry of Education, secondary schools, and students to co-design new U-Skills Academy programmes, creating more options for students to bridge the secondary-tertiary experience.

Improvement: Huia Rehu-Murchie (Otaki College)

Dedication: Elijah Stevenson  (Otaki College)

Outstanding Student (joint winners): Jordan Lacey (Freyberg High School) & Jenni Knightly (Totara College)

Improvement (joint winners): Wajahat Ali Muhammad Jawad (Awatapu College) & Kyana Barrett-Smith (Otaki College)

Dedication: Josh Claridge (Palmerston North Boys’ High School)

Outstanding Student: Ella Clark (Wanganui High School)

Improvement: Max Murphy (Wanganui Collegiate) 

Dedication: Linda Mooij (Wanganui City Colleeg)

Improvement: Nicole Ekenasio (Te Kura Correspondence School)

Dedication: Andrew Miles (Chanel College)

Outstanding Student: Liam Allingham (Chanel College)