About
Our mission: Developing opportunities for your future
We give students great reasons to stay in school, and help them gain trades skills for successful, satisfying careers.
How can we help you?
We help year 11–13 high school students keep their options open by achieving NCEA credits at school while gaining practical work skills and trades qualifications in a wide variety of industries from automotive engineering to uniformed services.
We’re your link between secondary school and work opportunities, or further study. We’ll help you:
- ease your transition into the world of work
- identify further training or study opportunities
- show you what your future career could look like while working towards NCEA
Who do we work with?
We partner with local secondary schools and their students, Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT), Whenua Iti Outdoors, and industry.
So, we’re part of the secondary education system, but you will walk between the two worlds... school and tertiary.
How it works
If you’re in year 11–13 and are focused, committed, and keen to work in a trade, then contact us (or your school's Trades Academy Co-ordinator) to learn more and apply.
Training is one day a week for the school year, at NMIT’s campuses in Richmond, Nelson or Blenheim, or at selected schools.
Some courses are live-in (residential) ‘block’ courses at Whenua Iti Outdoors.
Our tutors are experienced and have connections in the industry. They’ll give you (and the others in your trades class) training and a first-hand taste of working in your chosen field.
What does it cost?
We’re funded through the Ministry of Education’s Youth Guarantee Policy – so it’s free to study through us.
Meet your award-winning team
We have 3 staff members dedicated to helping students and industries succeed – Manager Shaaron James, Carolyn Pudney represents us in Marlborough and Vicki Seager provides administrative support.
Get an award-winning education
The Prime Minister's Education Excellence Awards recognise and celebrate outstanding achievements in pre-tertiary education.
In 2014, we won the award’s Education Focus Prize, ‘Takatū’ – ‘prepare, get ready’.
The judges said the academy “…has taken vocational training to students throughout Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough. Adults have put their interests aside, focusing on students and creating flexible programmes that are achieving results.”