Tai Poutini Polytechnic - more than a polytechnic

Meeting the needs of the West Coast and getting behind great local initiatives is all part of the job at Tai Poutini Polytechnic.

We are the West Coast's largest tertiary education provider and one of the region's significant employers - and we're more than a polytechnic. Part of our purpose is to support West Coast people, events and activities to help make great things happen here at home.

You'll often see our community engagement team, tutors and staff out-and-about at local events to help create connections between the community and learning. We also support a range of local enterprise and host our community partners at events across the year. Here are some of the fantastic projects we get involved in.

Student-built Project House

Every year, carpentry students build a three-bedroom home that is auctioned to the highest bidder for relocation on the West Coast. The Project House build gives students the opportunity to work on a real-world project, under the watchful eye of expert tutors, and the proceeds are donated to a good local cause.

Carpentry Tutor Rick King says the students love creating something that they know will become someone's home at the end of the project. "It gives them a real sense of purpose and we enjoy fantastic support from our local tradies and suppliers. who all get behind the project and donate materials and time."

Bringing Dragon's Den to the West Coast

Tai Poutini Polytechnic is giving young business enthusiasts a taste of the Dragon's Den. Partnering with the Young Enterprise Trust, each year we bring the Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme to West Coast high schools. Teams of high school students are challenged to come up with a business idea, prepare a business and marketing plan and launch their product or service to the local community. Local mentors help along the way and the year ends in a final Dragon's Den-style pitch to a panel of judges.

West Coast Pathways Careers Expo

The annual careers event has grown in size and scale recently, offering dozens of local employers, industry representatives and trainers a chance to discuss opportunities with schools and job seekers. The expo is a unique opportunity for West Coasters to learn, face-to-face, what's out there for them in our region.

Read more here

Published 2 February 2022