New website a one-stop shop for school leavers

Leaving the cocoon of high school and living with parents throws up a lot of challenges and inevitably the same questions – What am I going to do? Where can I live? How can I pay for all of this?

Now there is a website providing answers and information to help the 65, 000 students who leave high school each year transition to independence.

Schoolleaver.nz provides high school students and their parents with information and links to university, polytechnic and ITO study and private training courses offered in New Zealand. With no log-in or subscriptions needed, Schoolleaver.nz makes exploring potential options after high school simpler and easier.

“It’s never been more important for school leavers to have as much information as they can get hold off when deciding on their next step after school,” says website director Tim Greene.

“Nearly 70 per cent of school leavers go on to tertiary study or vocational training courses, but for a large number, school’s over. Having useful information there to help all students, regardless of what options they choose, is the key point behind Schoolleaver.nz.”

In addition to core study and training information, Schoolleaver.nz provides a range of information and guides for students and their families. Details on tertiary and training institutions are featured, while other topics SchoolLeaver features to help students include money (student loans, allowances, scholarships, banking, tax, KiwiSaver), accommodation (hostels, flatting, home stays), job hunting (resume preparation, how-tos), gap years, and personal lifestyle information (health, sport after school, physical and online safety).

There is also a news feed featuring items related to tertiary study, training, new courses, work opportunities and the employment landscape current students may face.

SchoolLeaver.nz has been designed as a desktop/tablet/mobile responsive website as opposed to an app. These formats mean parents are more likely to view or use the site, simplifying easy two-way dialogue between students and parents, and importantly, between students and their career advisors. The range of formats allows students to share with friends or be helped in their explorations if that works for them.

Teachers in a number of locations around the country who have viewed Schoolleaver.nz rated highly its ‘one-stop-shop’ comprehensive nature, and the fact that the site can help all students, not just the most academically able, was also highly valued.