STORY & BY SUMMA MACDONALD

Peter Baker , highly valued ‘ Gateway Liaison ’ seen here being hoist into the air by appreciative ‘ Gateway

Programme ’ participants , who have successfully entered apprenticeships thanks to the support and dedication of Peter and those involved in the

Gateway programme

As a parent , we often imagine and sometimes worry what our children will do with their lives and what path their journey will take them on . We watch from the sidelines hoping that they have taken on board the skills , lessons and advice that we , their parents , their teachers , caregivers and roles models have given them to take on the world .

Is it me , or does the world in which the next generation is embarking on seem to be very different to the working world that many of us entered into ?

With a significant increase in competitive career opportunities that are vastly changing before we can blink , our youth now have the added pressure of not only being skilled in their chosen career but the need to upskill and adapt to constantly evolving new technologies and advancements . Life doesn ’ t seem as simple as it used to be . With such a range of opportunities and entrepreneurial advantages , how do our young people start to determine what it is that they want to do ?

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Gateway Liaison , Peter Baker from the Marlborough College , who has been a dedicated ambassador for the year 12 and 13 boys aspiring to get a start on the career-ladder before they leave school . The ‘ Gateway Programme ’ at the college is part of a nationwide initiative to help students make informed decisions on their direction after leaving school . Purely having this opportunity has guaranteed these boys a head start and will potentially set them up with a bright future . What is unique about the Marlborough Boys College programme is that it ’ s not just for a short period of a term , these boys commit to one full day of work a week for the entire year with a local business in the trade or service they are interested in . This allows them to fully experience what commitment to a role involves and to gain as much experience as they can . During school holidays , they are also given the opportunity to work full time for the holiday period , allowing them the experience of what a full weeks work feels like .

The programme is ideal for students who have decided that tertiary education is not the road they want to take and are keen to enter the workforce . Some have found that after completing the programme , they have discovered their preferred industry will involve some extra study time and university or tertiary education is required to allow them to be qualified for the role they want .

Young men on the Gateway programme leave school with a minimum of a Restricted Drivers Licence after completing driving classes which the ‘ Gateway ’ programme puts them through .

During class time , they have the opportunity to complete papers on the industry they are training in which also gives them credits towards their NCEA . This year , the boys averaged just over 30 NCEA credits per student , to put that into perspective , Level 2 NCEA requires 60 credits for a pass , so these students are well on their way to passing the school year by just being part of this programme .

Some students can be accepted on to apprenticeships before they finish their school year , meaning they can begin upskilling earlier than most . This year , 10 boys have either entered the work force or are preparing to .

“ Local support of the programme over the last few years has been excellent ” says Pete , “ with a number of employers now having had three to four students who have either completed or are well into their apprenticeships . The boys also benefit from setting and maintaining work place standards . They can build a good reputation which goes an incredibly long way in communities like Marlborough ”.

“ This year , we have had 51 students enter the programme covering 25 different