For announcements and notices click here >>
Technology at Te Kauwhata College
At Te Kauwhata College we offer the opportunity to study as many aspects of Technology as we possibly can, enabling the students to be prepared for whichever career pathway they chose in life.
In Year 7 & 8
The students get a 1 term taster of Materials Technology where we teach them the skills and knowledge of how to create a project form multiple materials. Food technology where the students are taught safe food handling and how to prepare simple foods. Digital Technology we incorporate basic Word and Presentation tools along with some experience in Robotics, Coding & Animation.
In years 9 & 10
We do semester courses where the students will change options and cover 2 of the Technology areas a year. In Materials Technology we build on the knowledge gained from previous years and potentially gain L1 NCEA credits from Y10 on.
We teach the students through more involved projects that require learning the safe use of larger machinery, in both engineering and wood working. For Food technology the students get to enhance their skills & knowledge of the best practice in food preparation & presentation with more involved tasks.
Digital Technology offers the students opportunity to work towards NCEA credits across a range of areas which can connect across the school through other curriculum areas. Within Design and Visual Communication (DVC) students are taught the design process and through a range of sketching, instrumental drawing and digital drawing methods are asked to devise a project to meet a need for a possible client. This can lead onto careers in product design, architecture, fashion design, web design, gaming etc.
Materials Technology
Materials Technology – 1MTEC
This is a full year course, which is a mixture of practical and academic skills and knowledge, based around creative project work. The assessment will be done using a mixture of Technology Achievement Standards and Design & Visual Communication Achievement standards, allowing students to gain Merit & Excellence endorsements in Technology and developing a pathway for students to continue Technology into University levels. These standards will also fall into the Vocational pathways, giving students credible access to future careers.
Mechanical Engineering
1MECH
This is a whole year practical project-based course where the students will have the potential of gaining approximately 18 – 20 Level 1 credits through using a combination of Competenz & Fairview Education Services trades-based Unit Standards. The knowledge & skills gained in this course will allow students to enter Level 2 MECH course in the following year and ultimately into careers within the Mechanical & Automotive engineering trades. The standards used in this course will fit into the vocational pathways shown below.
This is a whole year practical project-based course where the students will have the potential of gaining approximately 18 – 20 Level 1 credits through using a combination of Competenz & Fairview Education Services trades-based Unit Standards. The knowledge & skills gained in this course will allow students to enter Level 2 MECH course in the following year and ultimately into careers within the Mechanical & Automotive engineering trades. The standards used in this course will fit into the vocational pathways shown below.
2MECH
This is a whole year practical project-based course, following on from 1MECH, where the students can gain approximately 18 – 24 credits and will be assessed using a mixture of Level 2 & some Level 3 NCEA trades-based Unit Standards. The knowledge & skills gained in this course will allow students to enter Level 3 MECH course in the following year or leave to attend courses with outside providers (E.G. Wintec or Fairview Automotive) and ultimately into careers within the Mechanical & Automotive engineering trades. The standards used in this course will fit into the vocational pathways shown below.
3MECH
This would be whole year practical project-based course, following on from 2MTEC, where the students will be assessed using a combination of Level 3 Competenz Unit standards & Level 3 Automotive Unit Standards. The knowledge & skills gained in this course will allow students to enter course in the following year with outside providers (E.G. Wintec, Fairview Automotive etc) and ultimately into careers within the Mechanical & Automotive engineering trades. The standards used in this course will fit into the vocational pathways shown below.
Construction
Construction – 1WTEC
This is a whole year practical project-based course, where the students will have the potential of gaining approximately 18 – 20 Level 1 credits through using BCITO trades-based Unit Standards. The knowledge & skills gained in this course will allow students to enter Level 2 WTEC course in the following year and ultimately into careers within the Building and Construction trades.
Construction – 2BCATS
This is a whole year practical project-based course, where the students will have the potential of gaining approximately 18 – 20 Level 2 credits through using BCITO trades-based Unit Standards. The knowledge & skills gained in this course will allow students to enter Level 3 WTEC course in the following year, or an opportunity to attend Wintec to gain pre-trade experience and ultimately into careers within the Building and Construction trades.
Construction – 3BCATS
This is a whole year practical project-based course, where the students will have the potential of gaining up to 36 Level 3 credits through using BCITO trades-based Unit Standards. The knowledge & skills gained in this course will allow students an opportunity to attend Wintec or other trades-based training organizations to gain pre-trade experience and ultimately into careers within the Building and Construction trades.
Digital Technologies
Digital Technology at Te Kauwhata College is offered at all levels and encourages students to be creative in a safe online environment. We are implementing the new Digital Curriculum in partnership with all other curriculum areas in the school.
We have high specification equipment that encourages students to both develop their basic computer skills and learn advanced digital tools to prepare for the online world we now live and work in. In Junior classes, we incorporate basic Word and Presentation tools along with some experience in Robotics, Coding and Animation.
From Year 10 onwards, students can work towards NCEA credits across a range of areas of interest and can also develop their own interests across the school curriculum to complete complex projects. In NCEA Level 1-3 students will work in design teams to develop a portfolio of work.
Senior Digital Technology students can also apply to be Student Computer technicians, which will add to their classroom work by developing advanced computer technology skills that can be used in industry and tertiary study.
We believe we offer a student-focused flexible programme that encourages creativity and collaboration at all levels of ability and interest for students.
Food Technology
Food Technology – 1Cafe
This is a whole year, practical project-based course where the students will have the potential of gaining approximately 21 Level 1 credits through ServiceIQ trades-based Unit Standards based around the Service & Hospitality industries.
Food Technology – 2Cafe
This is a whole year, practical project-based course where the students will have the potential of gaining approximately 21 Level 2 credits through ServiceIQ trades-based Unit Standards based around the Service & Hospitality industries.
Food Technology – 3Cafe
This is a whole year, practical project-based course where the students will have the potential of gaining approximately 21 Level 3 credits through ServiceIQ trades-based Unit Standards based around the Service & Hospitality industries. The knowledge & skills gained in this course will allow students to enter further educational institutes or directly into careers within the Service and Hospitality industries.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need shoes in the workshop?
Yes, this is a Health & Safety requirement as there are heavy tools, sharp material, and machinery which may cause injury.
Do I need to pay for the materials I use?
No this cost is covered in the funding we get from the Government.
Where will Technology classes lead me in the future?
Technology subjects can lead into many different career pathways, not only the traditional Trades areas, but into Farming, Academic Engineering at university level, Architecture, Digital engineering, Food Technologists and so many more.
What type of assessments do we do in Technology?
We use both NCEA Achievement Standards and Trade based Unit Standards as our assessment tools.
- NCEA Achievement Standards will give the students the chance of attaining Achieved, Merit or Excellence grades and can lead onto further study at University. These are designed to develop problem solving and questioning skills.
- Trade Based Unit Standards will allow the students to gain credits at achieved level only and these are designed to lead into further study at Technical institutes or to go directly into apprenticeships. These are designed to teach specific skills and Knowledge required for the trades areas.