Industries go back to school

By ADAM GIFFORD

A scheme which develops partnerships between schools and businesses is expanding its reach by establishing clusters in North Shore, Manukau and Auckland.

The Partners New Zealand Trust is already well established in Waitakere, Taranaki, Wairarapa, Wellington, Porirua and South Otago.

Former 3M director Maurice Boland, one of eight trustees, says the trust evolved from a conference four years ago which discussed what education and industry had to offer each other.

"It's not a monetary thing, because businesses are suspicious schools come looking for hand-outs," Mr Boland says.

"The idea of partnerships is they will be of mutual benefit to the school and the business."

Projects so far include creation of corporate signage or livery, building company web pages, doing market research, and collecting and presenting news for a local radio station.

Primary and secondary schools are involved.

"Some of the more sophisticated partnerships are where a number of students go into a firm for a week during school holidays, so they can be exposed to sales and marketing, accounting, research and development, manufacturing - all the essentials of what makes business," Mr Boland says.

"They apply with their CVs, which the human resources people critique and suggest how they can improve it when they leave school and apply for jobs.

"The larger companies will have a mentor for each student, usually a younger employee who will meet them in the morning and ensure the day's agenda will be set."

He says when they conduct an assessment at the end of such holiday experiences, many organisations have found they get valuable insights and suggestions from students.

"The future of business, of academia and of government is in today's classrooms."

Green Bay High School in west Auckland has formed a partnership with Metropolitan Waste, which has so far resulted in new signage for the company, designed by year-12 graphics students.

Principal Lionel Devaliant spent five years trying to establish a partnership with no success, until Partners New Zealand facilitated the contact.

"We were looking for a partner who would give experience beyond normal work experience. We want access to the world of work," Mr Devaliant says.

He says potential benefits for business include access to a professional teaching staff.

"Employers frequently complain about the literacy levels of staff. There's all sorts of areas where schools can help."

The trust is working with $100,000 seed funding from Skill New Zealand, but is expected to be self-funding by 2001.

Partnership facilitator Elizabeth Deuchrass, of Dunedin, is contracted to set up regional networks or clusters of educational institutions and businesses.

She says facilitation is essential to bridge the different needs and cultures of education and business.

"We have kids who are not achieving. New Zealand is under-skilled. We need to up-skill more of our people.

"There is a wealth of human capital in the education system, being taught a prescribed curriculum. They need to understand why they are learning what they are learning," she says.

The trust web site is www.nzef.org.nz, and Mrs Deuchrass is at elizd@es.co.nz.