Gateway
Gateway helps schools give senior students (year 11 and above) opportunities for structured learning in the workplace.
Gateway provides senior students who are interested in a trade with the opportunity to get hands on experience within an industry while gaining credits. It introduces senior students to an alternative form of tertiary education; one that involves being able to learn on-the-job.
Students will most likely spend one-day a week for ten-weeks (or ten days during the school holidays) in the workplace of a local employer completing basic unit standards, with the corresponding credits going towards NCEA.
Work placement is unpaid, but students can think of it as a ten-week job interview. If they make a good impression, it could lead to a job straight out of school and an apprenticeship.
Students from year 11 to 13 can apply to take part in the Gateway programme. For students to get the most out of their Gateway placement, they would also benefit from displaying the following:
- A strong interest in the industry they are going to be placed in
- Good numeracy and literacy skills
- A good attendance record - students need to turn up to work on time
- Organisational skills. Students will need to be able to balance school, work and assessments
- Motivation, positive attitude and a willingness to learn in the workplace
- Capability to undertake a structured work placement, and achieve credits in the workplace
We can:
- help you set up Gateway placements tailored to the industries we support
- connect you with employers in our industries to help you place your students
- help your students identify careers based on their work placements, particularly in apprenticeship based industries.
Each Gateway placement:
- is a formal arrangement between a school, a student and an employer for a student to spend time learning in an employer’s workplace
- agrees the knowledge and skills the student will gain during that placement
- agrees who will assess the student’s learning and how to confirm they have gained this knowledge and these skills.
To see the knowledge and skills (unit standards) our Gateway placements cover, please click here.
Click on the links below to find out more
Tip: if you are unsure which electives best suit your student and their company, your Competenz Training Advisor can help.
Baking
Cost: POA
Core units | |||
Unit | Unit Title | Level | Credits |
9955 | Thaw and prove frozen doughs | 2 | 2 |
14721 | Prepare and apply icings and glazes to bakery products using manual production methods | 2 | 6 |
14723 | Prepare and apply toppings to bakery products using manual production methods | 2 | 6 |
Elective units | |||
Unit | Unit Title | Level | Credits |
14709 | Freeze products for batch baking | 2 | 4 |
14708 | Retard products for batch baking | 2 | 8 |
14724 | Prepare and apply fillings to bakery products using manual production methods | 2 | 6 |
14722 | Prepare to, and decorate bakery products using manual production methods | 2 | 6 |
Engineering
Cost: POA
Core units | |||
Unit | Unit Title | Level | Credits |
21911 | Demonstrate knowledge of safety on engineering worksites | 2 | 2 |
2395 | Demonstrate and apply knowledge of the selection, use, and care of engineering hand tools | 2 | 4 |
4433 | Select, use and care for simple measuring devices used in engineering | 1 | 2 |
4435 | Select, use and care for engineering dimensional measuring equipment | 2 | 3 |
2396 | Select, use and maintain portable handheld engineering power tools | 2 | 4 |
Elective units | |||
Unit | Unit Title | Level | Credits |
2387 | Assemble mechanical components under supervision | 2 | 2 |
21912 | Apply safe working practices on an engineering worksite | 2 | 2 |
21905 | Demonstrate knowledge of trade calculations and units for mechanical engineering trades | 2 | 6 |
21909 | Demonstrate knowledge of safety on engineering worksites | 2 | 2 |
4436 | Select, use and care for engineering marking-out equipment | 2 | 4 |
Furniture making
Cost: POA
| Unit | Unit title | Level | Credits |
| 497 | Demonstrate knowledge of workplace health and safety requirements | 1 | 3 |
| 2199 | Use and maintain hand tools for furniture making | 2 | 4 |
| 2220 | Set and operate a single boring machine to bore holes in furniture components | 2 | 4 |
| 18915 | Use fixing hardware in furniture making | 2 | 3 |
| 25550 | Operate a straight cutting saw to cut square profiled furniture components | 2 | 3 |
| 25667 | Plan own career path within the furniture manufacturing industry | 2 | 2 |
Butchery
Cost: POA
| Unit | Unit title | Level | Credits |
| 26267 | Select and mince sheep meat | 3 | 4 |
| 26272 | Select and mince beef meat | 3 | 6 |
| 26277 | Select and mince pork mince | 3 | 4 |
| 26281 | Select and mince poultry meat | 2 | 2 |
| 17236 | Demonstrate knowledge of refrigeration for meat retailing | 2 | 2 |
Forestry
Cost: POA
| Unit | Unit title | Level | Credits |
| 6916 | Demonstrate knowledge of the rules relating to chainsaw use | 2 | 5 |
| 17769 | Demonstrate knowledge of general health, safety, and environmental requirements in forestry | 2 | 5 |
| 22994 | Demonstrate knowledge of factors that affect the performance of forestry workers | 3 | 10 |
Self-managed: This model allows schools to manage the Gateway programme end to end, from finding a work placement through to assessing and reporting unit standards.
Schools have consent to assess some level 2 and 3 unit standards. Schools can also apply for consent to assess. Click here for more information.
Assisted: The school will work with a Competenz advisor and an external assessor. Students will also have two visits with their Competenz advisor throughout the students ten-week placement. This will include a visit at the start of the placement and follow up visits when the student is ready to be assessed.
No matter which option you choose, you will have an experienced Competenz advisor on hand to answer your questions.
You should contact local companies to see if they are interested in taking on a Gateway student. We have a helpful Gateway brochure which you can give to the employer.
If you are not successful finding your student a placement, Competenz have a large database of employers we work closely with, so if you would like assistance placing a student with a company, contact Competenz's Customer Service team on 0800 526 1800 who will be able to assist. The important thing is to find your student a placement within the industry they show an interest in.
Once you have confirmed an employer for your student, call our Customer Service team on 0800 526 1800 who will be able to assist.
Waiuku College’s successful Gateway programme
A successful Gateway programme between secondary school Waiuku College and local employer New Zealand Steel is a good example of how schools, companies and our Competenz team can help young people understand the trades careers available to them and help businesses recruit and train talented youngsters.
“As the major employer in the region we’re keen to support our local community by giving NCEA engineering students at Waiuku College a chance to see what’s involved in an engineering career,” says Peter Walker, Maintenance Contracts Superintendent at New Zealand Steel (part of the BlueScope Steel Group).
“Each year we offer around six local students a week’s work experience during their school holidays.”
That week is an opportunity for a young person to learn. It’s also a chance for them to stand out from the crowd. If they show the attitude New Zealand Steel are looking for, they could soon be gaining the skills that will set them on the path to a worthwhile career.
In 2015 New Zealand Steel took on four Waiuku Gateway students as Competenz apprentices.
“These Gateway placements are a chance for us to have a good look at these students,” says Peter. “We want young people who can apply themselves and are keen to learn.”
Waiuku College Gateway Coordinator Briar Tuialii agrees. “It’s all about attitude. All the employers we deal with are looking for young people who want to get stuck in and learn. They need to be able to work with the team onsite. And they need some experience with equipment – which is where their NCEA engineering studies kick in.”
Briar says the school has built a good relationship with New Zealand Steel over many years. “We’ve had some really useful conversations. The New Zealand Steel team has helped us understand what they’re looking for, how their current apprentices are working out, and how our school can help prepare young people for a career in the trades.”
Please contact the Competenz careers team if you would like more information about the Gateway programme.