Nursing students benefiting from two years free education

EIT Nursing graduate Annah Cherry. Photo / Supplied

Eastern Institute of Technology is helping boost the numbers of Hawke's Bay's nurses by effectively offering two years of free education to degree students.

Although EIT had already implemented a scholarship fund to remove a year's worth of degree tuition fees, the implementation of a government policy along the same lines has resulted in doubling the amount of free education available in Hawke's Bay.

Graduate Annah Cherry next month starts work as a graduate junior nurse in the acute medical ward - A1 renal and respiratory - at the Hawke's Bay Fallen Soldiers' War Memorial Hospital and has been accepted by the Hawke's Bay District Health Board into a year-long nurse entry to practice (NETP) programme that will see her transition to a registered nurse.

She said securing an EIT Year 13 degree scholarship that covered her first year of fees in 2015 helped her a great deal.

"It was amazing, I don't think people realise how significant a student loan is until they have one. My loan is way less than my friends who have studied out of Hawke's Bay.

"Once I start work I'll be focused on paying off my small loan fast so I can start saving for a house."

EIT liaison adviser Samantha Potts said the number of Year 13 students applying for the Year 13 scholarship for degree study had grown year on year.

Already, 138 students from Hawke's Bay and Gisborne secondary schools had applied for 2019, up from 125 in 2018.

The scholarship, which funds up to $7000 in fees, was introduced in 2004 to encourage students to stay in Hawke's Bay while participating in high-quality tertiary education, but with less financial burden.

Now that the Labour Government offers fees free study options, the Year 13 scholarship can apply to a subsequent year of study - essentially providing EIT degree students with two years of free course fees.

In some cases that meant students whose relatives and ancestors had never studied for a degree were able to do so.

"We have many first-in-family students taking advantage of the scholarship," Potts said.

"While degree study may appeal, many are hesitant because of the worry of financial burden of study, and of study outside the region. The scholarship helps overcome some of that reluctance."

In 2019, nursing and primary teaching degrees have appealed to Year 13s with strong numbers enrolled.

"Viticulture and wine degrees have grown in number, while interest in business and computing degrees have remained steady."

At the end of August, more than 500 students in Hawke's Bay had taken up the option of the Government's fees-free study policy.

Education Minister Chris Hipkins said the Coalition Government's first-year fees-free policy had enabled more than 50,000 people to receive fees-free tertiary education this year.

"The impact on students' lives is already clear. Statistics for January to September 2018 show that 31,600 fewer students borrowed to pay tertiary fees. The amount students had to borrow for fees also fell, down $193 million on the same time last year.

"That's strong progress in the Coalition Government's determined steps to reduce the cost burden and barriers for New Zealanders in post-school education and training.

"It's also pleasing to note that the policy may be helping to stabilise the previous significant decline in enrolments, particularly in a strong labour market environment with the lowest unemployment rate in over a decade (3.9 per cent)."