Whanganui's UCOL holiday programme, "Winta Flava", is delivering the business.
So much so that each of the daily courses is booking out fast.
The courses are aimed at young people aged 16 and over who are still at school and want to have a taste of tertiary life and try a tertiary course.
UCOL, free of charge, is offering an abundance of courses, including design, hairdressing, culinary art, a look at nursing and science, beauty basics, fashion design and creating jewellery using glass fusing.
External communications director Katarina Hina said it was an amazing opportunity because it gave students about to leave school the chance to ask questions and have a go to help them make a decision about their future.
"And it's free. It also shows these students that Wanganui is a good place to stay, that they don't have to leave town. We have, for example, the best fine arts degree course in New Zealand."
Students have booked in from most of secondary schools including Wanganui High School, City College, Cullinane College, Wanganui Girls' College, Collegiate School and the Correspondence School.
Yesterday more boys than girls were in the Culinary Arts School, keen to cook up a storm. Under the tutelage of chef Emma Waterson, they prepared to cook gourmet burgers using chicken mince with a side dish of baked potato wedges, with the added bonus of being allowed to eat their their culinary delight once they had cooked it. There was a hands-on experience in graphic design for students keen to enter the fashion industry.
Students were shown how to set up a real photo shoot and learn how professionals design a magazine cover.