Page 16 - IB Mar 2020

AUT UniPrep 2020:

Helping high school leavers transition into tertiary studies

It was a busy start to 2020 for the Auck- and career pathway to carry them through The ‘Mentor Navigators’ are university
land University of Technology’s South their years of undergraduate study with us.” students themselves, or recent graduates,
Campus in Manukau where 300 high school This year, the initiative was led by two who are available to guide the participants,
leaver students took on the five-week ‘Uni- Project Leads – Becks Lafo’Ou Lusa and and provide advice and support from a stu-
Prep’ programme in a bid to get ‘match- Noah Mataia who were collectively respon- dent perspective throughout the five weeks.
ready’ for university. sible for the co-ordination of 45 mentor “The duality of benefits that come from
UniPrep is AUT’s flagship university navigators, and the students enrolled in the working in this type of programme is ulti-
preparation initiative designed to assist stu- initiative. mately the best thing,” explains Mataia.
dents in their successful transition into ter- “We look after the recruitment of “You can participate in the growing and
tiary studies. Now in its sixth year, the full- mentors and ‘navigators’, and the co-or- guiding of Aotearoa’s youth, whilst at the
time, free on-campus experience includes dination of the academic, administrative same time be put in a space where your own
workshops focused on career guidance, programmes, and media and engagement leadership and resolve is constantly devel-
team-building, numeracy and literacy, out- programmes,” says Lafo’Ou Lusa. “We oping. Whilst working alongside others in a
door sport, building personal development lead the mentor navigator training – which role that carries purpose and passion, every
plans, time management, resilience, and we designed collaboratively. We also have individual is encouraged to speak their own
leadership. oversight of the entire mentor team. It’s truth, fill their own shoes, and carve their
Assistant Vice-Chancellor, South Cam- about team and student support.” own path.”
pus and Pacific Advancement, Walter Fraser
says the University has a strong ongoing
commitment to mitigate cases where pro-
spective students might feel they are not
quite ready for the ‘big leap’ into university
or are unsure of what to expect.
“The time span between finishing school
and starting university is the ‘summer of in-
decision’ for many Year 13 school leavers,
in New Zealand and across the Pacific. So, a
tailored approach was needed which would
ensure students experienced a smoother
transition into their first semester,” explains
Fraser.
“UniPrep comes at a particularly crucial
time for many of the participating students
– they see UniPrep as a way to way to help
them decide what they want to do as a ca-
reer, and even, help them decide if the Uni-
versity pathway is really for them.”
“This experience will equip them with a
clear personal development plan, key skills,

Find out more about UniPrep here:
https://www.aut.ac.nz/about/pacific/our-initiatives/our-oceanian-leadership-network/our-uniprep-programme
16 Islands Business ,March 2020