Year 11 MITO Automotive Bus Trip - by Sean Bennett

I was invited along with 11 other Year 11 students to go on a day trip sponsored by MITO (Motor Industry Training Organisation). We ended up going to 3 different garages (automotive business) and got free lunch which was a very nice plus. The first place we went too was Penske. Penske is a heavy automotive business who work mainly with buses and trucks. I found this place probably my favourite because we got to go into the workshop and look at some of the processes that went into servicing and repairing the trucks. We were then onto Avon City Ford. Here we looked at all sides of a light automotive business. Starting with the mechanics, then to diesel and larger light vehicles mechanics where they explained the differences in how they are treated. It was then explained how they dealt with written off cars by taking them apart and how they sell the parts to be reused. They also talked about how a lot of cars these days are run by mainly electronics and showed us how they do a test with a laptop to see if there's anything wrong. The last place we looked at was Tandem Smash repairs. This is a paint and panel beating shop. When we went in I found that there was a lot more of a process in painting than I had imagined, especially when trying to match the colours. I was really appreciative to MITO for giving me this opportunity to go and see these workplaces and have a look at all of the opportunities in this industry and where it could lead in my future.  

On the 16th of March, a group of students headed to West Melton for the Selwyn Youth Expo. At the expo, there was a great variety of business like the defence force, Ara, NTA, Police and many more. This event allowed us to talk one on one with the range of businesses, ask questions, and get a deeper understanding of the jobs/courses we could apply for later in our future. Going to the careers expo was an important afternoon for me. Since I complete high school this year, there is the pressure of finding a career that will be suitable for me, so going to this event helped me look at some possible options and helped rule out what careers I did and didn't like. By the end of the day, I was able to walk away with lots of information from careers that I found interesting, like the NZ defence force, Police Force and the fire and emergency.

Written by Sophie Thomas

Look at the fun the Early Childhood learners had in their class! As they finished their Basic Needs and Nutrition unit they had the opportunity to interact with some small people and really make the subject come to life...