Cropping course set for Masterton

EDUCATION: Nga Kanohi Marae o Wairarapa's training model was launched in 2009.

Trades training agency Nga Kanohi Marae o Wairarapa is for the first time launching a horticulture course in Masterton.

Manager Charles Morunga said there were up to 10 spaces available on the Level 2 introductory course in horticulture that starts on Monday.

The fee-free course is NZQA-accredited and offers 70 credits, with Study Link available to prospective students who qualify.

A 31-week course was launched in March with 14 trainees studying toward a Level 2 National Certificate in basic residential property maintenance with building construction and allied trades skills. The course will finish at the end of the month.

The ongoing NZQA-accredited property maintenance course covers theory and practical work, with trainees taught on-site at Te Heru a Rangi Marae near the southern approach to Masterton.

The scheme also took students through health and safety rules and established their individual literacy and numeracy skill levels, Mr Morunga said.

Land Based Training was the lead training provider for both schemes this year and long-time sponsors J.R. McKenzie Trust and the Masterton District Council remained as scheme supporters.

The schemes were designed primarily for at-risk youth and students unsuited to traditional classroom environments, Mr Morunga said, although older students were also within the gambit of the courses.

Prospective students on the horticulture course would be transported to and from the agency centre at Te Heru a Rangi Marae with lunch provided and marae tikanga and kawa observed, he said.

He said the pastoral care offered was "our point of difference" and an acknowledged catalyst for student successes. The marae-based training scheme model was the first of its kind in New Zealand at its launch in the town in 2009.

-For more information on the trades training schemes, call Charles Morunga at Nga Kanohi Marae o Wairarapa on 06 370 2460.