Vocational Pathways Update

By Jacqueline Irving | Posted: Thursday April 10, 2025

Meeting the needs of students within school, and beyond The Archway, has provided them with a plethora of opportunites this term.

Tertiary Open Days 2025 are set for Sunday, May 4th and Monday, May 5th.

All Year 13 students will be released off timetable to attend Tertiary Open Day at The University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic on Monday, 5th May. I will be present on campus that day. Program details will be provided to all Year 13 students in week one next term. Parents and caregivers may wish to visit campus with their son on Sunday. Details to date are recorded below. It is worth looking at over the holiday period.

https://www.otago.ac.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/612235/2025-Otago-Open-Days-Programme.pdf

https://www.op.ac.nz/about/events/otago-open-days-2025

Senior students have benefited from tertiary visits that have been held across assembly and at lunchtimes this term. Liaison officers will return to Otago Boys’ High School in term two to assist students with their applications and give course advice following their institutions’ Open Days.

Tertiary visits term one have included:

26th February

Greg Heller Otago University presentation with all Year 13 students’ period 5.

6th March
Steph Kerslake Otago Polytech lunchtime session with senior students.

19th March
Laura Samuela Lincoln University lunchtime session and evening session at the Hostel.

20th March

Sophia Wall from Victoria University isnow rescheduled for Friday, 23rd May.

25th March

Steph Kerslake Otago Polytech presentation with senior assembly.

27th March

Keegan Taie Canterbury University lunchtime session.

Liaison officers will return to Otago Boys’ High School in term two to assist students with their applications and give course advice following their own Open Days.

Vocational Opportunities

A large cohort of students have been fortunate to do some learning off timetable this term through placements with outside providers. Below is a snapshot of our students who are undertaking blended learning this year.

1.TOKOMAIRIRO – FORESTRY PATHWAY TRAINING 

Entry-level training is available for Year 12 and 13 school students in Milton, South Otago. This training aims to give students a broad introduction to all the careers available in forestry. 

The training is provided by Tokomairiro Training, in partnership with Johnson Forestry Services, Mosgiel. Students will attend for 2 days per week for 32 weeks (two semesters). Ratio of practical and theory training is approximately 50/50 and students work to achieve forestry NZQA unit standards at Levels 2 and 3, which double as NCEA credits.

Alaister Mc Kenzie and Lynda Allen deliver hands-on training based out of the Milton Campus. After completing health and safety training students have all successfully completed their chainsaw course and are now actively contributing to community projects. It was wonderful to see OBHS students Gilbert Te Moana, Barry Pomare, Salem Holmes, and Tuheitia Te Moana in action at The Milton Golf Course last week. Students were processing felled trees ready for charitable distribution and fundraising by the local Lions Club. I want to give a big shout out to Alaister who not only is our students tutor but their driver too. He ensures their transport to and from Dunedin and is incredibly well respected by our boys.

 

2.GATEWAY- Funded by The Tertiary Education Commission

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the wonderful local businesses who have hosted our Gateway students for this year. 

We are proud to have 19 young men out on Gateway placements—a fantastic number that reflects the strength of our community partnerships.

This program wouldn’t be possible without the ongoing support of these businesses, many of whom we’ve had the privilege of working with for several years. Your generosity, mentorship, and commitment to our students play a vital role in their growth and success.

Our student hosts are:

Eb Engineering

Nichols Landscaping

Stevenson and Williams

South Air, 

Adams Plumbing and Electrical

Princess Street Butcher

Otago Electrical and Communications (OEC)

Tansleys Electrical

MD Building

Transport Engineering Otago

Cooke Howlison Toyota

Diesel Transport Services

Heavy Diesel Support

Farra Engineering

Todd Engineering

Young Contracting

Otago Tractor Repairs

Foleys Plumbing

Steve Mowat Builders

Thank you to all employer hosts for welcoming our students into your workplaces, inspiring, educating and training them as they prepare for the next stage in their journey. Next term we will profile these individual Year 13 students and their hosts businesses in the newsletter. I wish to acknowledge the efforts of our Employer Liaison Kimberly Cross who has been instrumental in sourcing and managing our work placements.

 

3. OSTC Otago Secondary Tertiary College delivered by Otago Polytechnic

This year we have six students fortunate to attend Otago Polytechnic on a Friday. They join a cohort of approximately 200 students from across Otago schools undertaking some of their learning on campus. Liz Gilmore at Otago Polytech is the driving force behind this successful program.

Cookery – Austin McLew.

Police Pathways- Coby Booth.

Automotive Engineering- Kori Dryden, Matt Harris, Noah Kitto, and Wade Mc Clenaghan.

These students are following their passion. This opportunity is offered to a limited number of students. There will be a similar number of spaces available for students who will be in Year 12 in 2026. Applications for this take place in November each year.

Term Two Save The Date - Open Days

Otago University and Polytechnic Sunday 4th and Monday 5th May.        

Dunedin Careers Expo Wednesday 15th May 9am-7pm Edgar Centre.

Waikato University Friday 23rd May.  

Lincoln University Friday 18th July.

Massey University Saturday 6th August.

Victoria University Friday 22nd August.

Auckland University Saturday 30th August.

Canterbury University Friday 5th September.

Next term senior students will be working through a series of careers activities using the new resource that is being rolled out to replace the existing Careers Website. The expectation is that they take one form time each fortnight to do this on their device while junior students are at assembly. The links to these resources will be shared with parents/ caregivers.

You might like to try the first interest quiz for yourself. This was shared with senior students last week to get them thinking about life beyond school.

https://tahatu.govt.nz/get-inspired/interest-quiz

Enjoy spending time with your son. If you both do the quiz it might be interesting to see how different or alike you both are.