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Despite the setback of having more than $20,000 worth of power tools stolen earlier this month, Whangaparāoa’s Trades Academy has made great strides in its first six months.
Police are currently investigating the break-in, and the school is working with sponsor HiKOKI NZ to replace the stolen gear and bridge the shortfall.
Nineteen Year 13 learners have been busy rebuilding a house, and for the first phase focused on demolishing most of the interior structure, deputy principal Justin Linten says. With that now complete, they are about to submit plans to council for approval before beginning the rebuild of the shell.
“We’ve stripped it all the way back,” Linten says. It’s probably more intensive than we could have done, but it provides a blank canvas for our students to have an impact on. Our design and communication teachers are looking at how we can bring this into the classrooms, for example, how we design the rooms.”
As this is the first year of the programme, Linten says they are still figuring out what will work for the whole school and how to incorporate real-world skills into learning, and Principal Steve McCracken says that although the programme took a huge amount of work to set up, the support from industry and the community has helped it succeed.
“Every new person we add into the mix brings six or more, and everyone who has been in to see the programme is just blown away.”
The learners are also making connections with the wider community, Linten says.
“Soon, we’re taking the whole team to the Men’s Shed and setting up relationships with professionals, so they learn how to take a quote, or understand feedback from a client – not take it personally, and go back with new ideas.”
The programme is already making an impact on learners’ behaviour, Linten says.
“When young people feel connected to what they’re doing and see value beyond our walls, immediately the phones go away, because there’s something meaningful for them to do. We’d love to find new opportunities for that to occur as much as possible.”
McCracken sees potential to mirror the programme elsewhere.
“Imagine, when the new curriculum comes through, extending what we’ve done with the Trades Academy to Early Childhood Education or working with the elderly – those types of skills – so they can get ahead of the game when they leave, and enter the workplace while developing their passions and interests.”
