The Bay of Plenty Polytechnic believes it's onto a winner with a marae-based course for at-risk young Maori.
The polytechnic's director of Maori and community development, Kuku Wawatai, says the prospect of jobs in the fishing industry is the lure for the 16- and 17-year-olds, whose education costs are covered under the Ministry of Education's youth guarantee scheme.
Mr Wawatai told Waatea News that all 40 boys on the last course graduated with a certificate in maritime and fishing technology.
He says the polytechnic didn't need to market the course but was able to fill places by knowing which kids in the community were most likely to benefit from it.
