Sam Gets Ahead with Youth Apprenticeships Scheme

by Ngā Haeata Mātauranga The Annual Report on Māori Education 2007/08

Overview

In this case study, Aotea College head boy Sam Henare (Ngāpuhi) talks about his personal experience of the Youth Apprenticeships Scheme, an initiative available to support learner decision-making at school. He reflects on how the scheme is giving him the opportunity to leave school with the qualifications and real-world experience he needs to pursue an electrical apprenticeship. College staff, Sam’s employer, and the training manager for the Electrical Technology Industry Organisation also contribute to the case study.

Ministry figures show that since the introduction of the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA), more learners are leaving school with qualifications than ever before – a trend that is also true of Māori learners.

In 2007, for example, 18 per cent of Māori learners left school with qualifications that allowed them to study at university, an increase of 11 per cent since 2002. In 2007, 44 per cent of Māori school leavers had attained NCEA Level 2 or higher – an increase of 7 per cent from 2006.

However, there are still significant challenges for increasing the achievement of Māori learners within schools, given that 35 per cent of Māori school leavers in 2007 did not gain a qualification, compared with 12 per cent of non-Māori. And only 14 per cent of Māori learners in the 2005 cohort sitting NCEA in 2007 gained three qualifications, compared with 36 per cent of non-Māori.

Additionally, data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows New Zealand has relatively low rates of participation in education and training for young people aged 15 to 19.

Yet innovative schools throughout the country are increasingly using the flexibility provided by NCEA, along with technology and the scope provided by the new curriculum, to provide learners with richer learning opportunities that suit learners’ needs and career interests.

In 2006, the Education Review Office (ERO) evaluated how effectively schools were meeting the career education and guidance needs of learners in year 7 and above, including Māori. ERO found that 42 per cent of primary schools and 41 per cent of secondary schools were effective or highly effective at meeting the career education and guidance needs of Māori, suggesting there is plenty of room for improvement.

Reflective questions

These questions might guide you as you read the case study:

  • Aotea College is successfully implementing the Youth Apprenticeships Scheme to engage its Māori students and support them to stay at school, achieve, and make informed decisions about their future. How could your school tailor your teaching and learning programmes to make them more relevant to students’ learning needs and career interests? How could your school adapt existing programmes to improve the qualification rates among Māori school leavers? What relationships could help you achieve this goal, and why?
  • The experiences of staff at Aotea College show the huge potential to improve learning outcomes through high-quality partnerships with industry training organisations and employers. Identify the possible partnerships in your community. Who could help you improve the teaching and learning opportunities available to Māori learners? Could you further develop or strengthen some of these relationships this year?
  • Aotea College staff make the point that studying towards an industry qualification (as well as NCEA) while still at school is no easy option for students. In what ways could your school develop students’ knowledge and understanding of industry-based learning, qualifications, and careers? Could local businesses and industry training organisations help you?

Further reading

Secondary Tertiary Alignment Resource homepage

Creating Pathways and Building Lives homepage

Education Counts Māori Education homepage

NZQA's Strategy for Māori

Ngā Haeata Mātauranga The Annual Report on Māori Education. Read the latest evidence and data relating to Māori education. This report starts the process of reporting on Ka Hikitia Managing for Success Māori Education Strategy 2008–2012, which sets out the Ministry’s strategic approach to achieving education success for, and with, Māori.

Reference

Ministry of Education. (February 2009) Ngā Haeata Mātauranga The Annual Report on Māori Education 2007/08. Wellington: Ministry of Education.

Tags: Māori student achievement

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