
<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-1741" src="http://schoolnewsnz.fastrackdev.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/SND19-wk1-Rotorua_students.jpg" alt="SND19-wk1-Rotorua students" style="margin: 5px; float: right;" width="300" height="225" />Everyone needs a second chance in life – and Te Arawa Lakes Trust in Rotorua is providing that opportunity for dozens of students every year, who have dropped out of secondary school. <!--more--> </p>
<p>Heddell Raerino, who manages the Trust&#8217;s Employment and Training Unit, says students aged 16 to 19 are given the chance to complete two different NCEA level 1 qualifications that will then help them progress onto further training and employment.</p>
<p>&#8220;We see ourselves as a place where students can mature,&#8221; Heddell says. &#8220;Our main focus is picking up those students that have fallen through the cracks of mainstream education and putting them back onto a pathway to succeed. They&#8217;ve just had a bit of a detour on their way to getting where they want to be.&#8221;</p>
<p>The trust&#8217;s Employment and Training Unit offers a National Certificate in Employment Skills, which is a 20-week course covering topics such as creating a CV, health and safety, interview skills, time management, keyboarding skills, as well as numeracy and literacy.</p>
<p>Heddell says about 70 per cent of students also complete the National Certificate in Automotive Skills, which is a 16-week course. There&#8217;s an automotive workshop and classrooms on site at the Employment and Training Unit&#8217;s base in Ngapuna, Rotorua, and two fulltime tutors oversee the coursework.</p>
<p>&#8220;Many of our students go on to do either NCEA level 2 or 3, or courses at places like polytech. Some go into the armed services as well and we work with the recruiting office here in Rotorua to help them gain entry.&#8221;</p>
<p>Numeracy and Literacy Support<br />This year BayTrust has given $21,000 to the Te Arawa Lakes Trust to help support the students&#8217; needs. Extra pastoral care has been provided as a result, and another person will soon be employed to help focus specifically on literacy and numeracy skills.</p>
<p>&#8220;The tutors don&#8217;t have enough time to dedicate to those students who have high literacy and numeracy needs so this funding will help immensely,&#8221; Heddell explains.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s heart-breaking for us when we see a student who wants to make a difference in their lives by doing these courses but we can&#8217;t take them because they wouldn&#8217;t be able to do the work.</p>
<p>This money will allow us to take more of those students on.</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re really thankful to BayTrust for helping us out and providing that assistance.&#8221;</p>
<p>The post Helping Rotorua Students Get Back On Track appeared first onBayTrust.org.nz.</p></p>

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