Secondary/Tertiary High School, Changing Student Experiences Through VET

Abstract

In 2010 a unique and innovative educational institution opened at the Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) in Auckland NZ. A bridging programme for 15–16-year-old students at risk of disengagement from secondary schools. Students would, with their agreement, their caregivers, their secondary school, and the tertiary provider, enrol at the Manukau Institute of Technology Tertiary High School (THS) (Internally this Tertiary High School programme/school is known as the “School of Secondary Tertiary Studies.”). Students would complete their Year 12 and 13 in a post-compulsory setting. To make this possible, the NZ Education Act was changed, new funding rules applied, curriculum written, policy settings developed as this new VET pathway opened for low-skilled and disadvantaged students certain to be left behind.