Ultimate alternative to school in the heart of the Hamilton: Vision College
Sometimes school just doesn’t work out for any number of reasons.
Thankfully Vision College in Hamilton runs Ultimate and Ultimate 2.0 for students keen to pick up NCEA Levels 1 and 2, as well as a programme that provides valuable life skills, employment skills, and a look into the different career and study options out there.
“I would say just bite the bullet and take the next step in your education. If school’s not working and you don’t feel like you’re getting anything done, then just come to Vision College and you’ll get it done!”
– Aidan
FutureForce® sat down with Ultimate 2.0 students Aidan Jansen and Kayla Gedge and asked them to spill the tea on what’s so great about Vision…
Kayla Gedge (left) and
Aidan Jansen (right)
“It’s easy to make friends and become more tight-knit as a group because we’re doing the same things.”
– Aidan
A Chat with Aidan and Kayla
How did you find out about Vision College? What got you interested in enrolling in this course?
Aidan:
I have ADHD so I couldn’t really concentrate or focus in school. I wasn’t getting the help that I needed in conventional education. My Dad actually works in the building across the street so he told me about Vision College. I enrolled and everyone was really nice so I kept coming back!
Kayla:
My sister did an ECE course here at Vision and she told me about the programme. School wasn’t working out for me and I was struggling to find another place to go to get my education. My sister told me that everyone was really nice and it’s nothing like high school, there’s no drama and I thought, “okay, I’ll give it a shot.”
On my first day, I’d already made like five friends!
What stood out to you about Vision College when looking for your next step?
Aidan:
I didn’t have any qualifications, or much education, and I really wanted to get into the workforce but I needed my Level 1 and 2. It’s a 19-week course for each level so I could get those done in a year, rather than two years at high school. So it was really about the time.
It’s more of a family here. They care about you and push you to do well. It’s a really supportive and encouraging place.
Kayla:
I didn’t have any qualifications either. I got kicked out of school at the start of Year 11 and tried online learning, but it didn’t work for me because I could just not open my computer… obviously that wasn’t going to work! So I came here and I’m really close to finishing. It’s been so easy and everyone is so supportive. If you’re stuck on something, our tutors are just awesome, they’ll help you with anything.
Aidan:
We’ve got our own space – in high school, you’re jumping from different classes, doing a bunch of different things and it can be really scattered.
Kayla:
When you come here in the morning, you stick to one class and although you’re learning a whole lot of different things, you stay in one classroom with the same group of people so you get to make friends and create a really great relationship with your tutor. That helps because then you feel like you’re close and you can talk to them about anything if you’re having any struggles or problems.
Aidan:
It’s easy to make friends and become more tight-knit as a group because we’re doing the same things.
What’s a day like on course at Vision?
Kayla:
We start at 9am so come to class early. We all have our work but it’s pretty chill and laid-back, the teacher’s aren’t constantly on your case unless you’re really getting behind! You do your own work and then we have a break at 10.30am. We come back into class and keep working until lunch at 12.30pm – except on Wednesday’s we have a shared lunch that’s supplied by the school which is things like a BBQ, hot dogs or pizza… anything really! Then back to class to keep working until the day finishes around 2.30pm.
It’s not as long as a normal school day but I feel like we get a lot more done in a week of being here than what you would at a normal high school.
Aidan:
You don’t feel as much pressure. There’s less people and it’s more relaxed than a typical high school. I wouldn’t say it’s all cruisy though, you still have a lot to do! There’s just not as much stress. And the smaller class sizes help too.
What advice would you give someone who might be a similar situation and looking is to take the next step?
Aidan:
I would say just bite the bullet and take the next step in your education. If school’s not working and you don’t feel like you’re getting anything done then just come to Vision College and you’ll get it done!
Kayla:
In life, you have to take chances and it’s a big move to going to from school to school – personally I hate doing it because I dreaded the thought of struggling to make new friends. But, when you take that chance, you’ll realise how good it actually is here. Vision even offers counselling lessons and there is all this support around you.
What’s the future looking like after you’ve completed your course?
Aidan:
Once I have my Level 2, I’m going to start applying for apprenticeships to become a mechanic. I want to get more education for my career.
Kayla:
I want to go into full time work next year when I get my Level 2, so I can save up some money. Then I want to do a beauty course and then go to uni to study professional writing. I want to leave my options open!
“It’s been so easy and everyone is so supportive. If you’re stuck on something, our tutors are just awesome, they’ll help you with anything.”
– Kayla
Ultimate 2.0: What will you learn?
Communication
- Diversity in the workplace
- Informal meetings
- Team communication with an objective
- One-to-one negotiation
- Problem-solving
Personal Effectiveness
- Manage own learning
- Research a topic
- Make enquiries and practical transactions
- Complex forms
- Banking products
- Communicating information in the workplace
Management and Workplace
- Tertiary funding
- Explain taxation
- Job skills
- Career options
- Employment agreements
Business Technology
- Manage business documents
- Presentation apps
- Produce digital images
- Security for digital devices
- Use graphics in communication
- Write to communicate ideas
Find out more about the Ultimate Programme
Click for more info on studying Ultimate 2.0 at Vision College
What qualifications will you get?
- New Zealand Certificate in Foundation Skills (Level 2)
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
- For students aged 16-24.
- No previous qualifications at NCEA Level 2 or higher
Like Ultimate, Ultimate 2.0 also includes further career and study tasters to help students decide what career they may want to work towards and further learning they can take to get there. These career tasters vary between campuses, but may include business technology, barista training, early childhood skills and much more! They will also have the option to earn their learner drivers licence, restricted licence, or forklift licence. There is a focus on generic business and technology knowledge, as the skills gained are very useful for a wide variety of higher-level study and employment opportunities.
Students who enrol will be given an individual learning plan to assist them in achieving credits towards NCEA 1 or 2. Students who complete both levels of Ultimate can finish with two Foundation Skills qualifications. Upon completion of our Ultimate programmes, students can pathway onto higher study with Vision College. The New Zealand Certificate in Business (Administration and Technology) (Level 3) is a direct pathway for this programme, as students will have completed a programme taster and several units around the topic of business technology. Successful graduates of Ultimate 2.0 may also meet the requirements for some Level 5 programmes. Graduates looking for employment can move into entry-level work involving customer service or administration.