So, how do we develop future pathways for students that take advantage of the regional opportunities that exist and ensure they have the necessary skills to take them up.
This question came about after a discussion with several former students about how they were progressing beyond year 13. It was a little disheartening to find out that they had not continued on with their chosen pathways for a number of reasons:
1. Lack of knowledge about regional opportunities and how to access them
2. Employers preferring skilled applicants
3. Lack of contacts that could get them in the door of employers
One conversation was with a young man that had completed his Computing Diploma and was struggling to find employment because of a lack of skills in the sector. This lead to me talking too our IT provider who was struggling to find suitably trained IT technicians. The video below is the outcome of the conversations. Is it possible for our curriculum to be flexible enough to allow students the time to develop the skills needed regionally whilst completing their NCEA level 3. How would the 3;2 or 4:1 model work and would parents be ok with their kids not being at school for several days a week.
