Year 13 'dual pathways' scrapped to fund 1060 extra trades academies places

Uale Poe Poe, above, took an automotive course at a Manukau Institute of Technology trades academy in his Year 12 year at Tuakau College in 2015. Numbers are now being expanded by 1060. Photo / File

A pilot scheme enabling Year 13 students to dual-enrol in both school and a polytechnic has been scrapped to fund more places in trades academies.

Education Minister Chris Hipkins says the "dual pathway" scheme for Year 13 students will end when a three-year pilot finishes at the end of this year, and the $7.5 million saving will be used to fund 1060 extra places in trades academies.

The director of Manukau Institute of Technology's Centre for Studies in Multiple Pathways, Dr Stuart Middleton, said the switch was "a sound decision".

"It would have been nice to see it [dual pathways] continue," he said. "But we are pretty good at teaching Year 13 students, so I would say that the effect would be less on the Year 13 students than if the cuts had been made to the Year 12 programmes."

Dr Stuart Middleton says it was "a sound decision" to axe Year 13 dual pathways, rather than Year 12 trades academies, if cuts had to be made. Photo / File

He said most of the country's 23 trades academies were aimed at Year 12 students and operated for one day a week, compared with two days a week for the Year 13 dual pathway students.

Manukau has about 400 students in 15 trades academies, including three academies in South Auckland schools. By contrast, it has only 160 Year 13 dual pathways students.

"They are probably adding more places in the trades academies [than the number being lost in dual pathways]," he said.

"The trades academies are very successful. Fifty per cent of those students subsequently enrol in a polytech course. That is a very high level of progress."

The transfer will increase trades academy places from 6190 to 7250 a year.

There were 1065 students in the Year 13 dual pathways pilot last year and 715 in April this year.