Student survey shows need for Alumni programme

Building cultural connections with Taranaki is the main focus for PKW’s fledgling alumni programme for scholarship and educational grant recipients.

“An alumni programme has been something PKW has wanted to develop for some time,” says Puna WanoBryant, General Manager Shareholder engagement. “But we wanted to be sure of the value of any offering to our ākonga. A recent survey of grant recipients indicated that it could be a great way for people to strengthen their cultural connections to the rohe and their Taranakitanga.”

The Grant Recipient Destination Survey was carried out for a second time at the end of the last academic year.

“The survey is a very useful tool which helps us understand more about the needs of our ākonga as they come to the end of their study,” explains Puna. “It means we can look at what we can do to maintain that support and manaakitanga as they start the next stage of their lives.”

“The survey was sent to all 2020 grant and scholarship recipients and 63 responded - a disappointing response which showed that there was more work to be done in fully engaging people to ensure the relationship between them and PKW wasn’t a purely transactional one,” says Puna.

The majority of respondents were wahine and most fell into the 15-24 age bracket (26), with 13 aged 25-34, 8 35-44, 12 45-54 and 4 aged 55-64.

“This information is important because it shows us that people want to learn and grow throughout their lives so we need to ensure that we don’t just concentrate on younger students,” says Puna.

A Bachelor’s degree was the most common qualification gained, with 16 respondents going on to attain a Postgraduate qualification, Masters or doctorate.

While the majority of respondents (68%) stated they were working, the salary indications were in the lower brackets ($20k - $49k). This suggests that much of the work would be considered part-time or casual, which aligns with the data that nearly half of respondents are still studying.

A new question included this year asked about the level of debt recipients were accumulating in order to study. The responses are fairly even with student debt ranging from $0 to $49,000 and with some owing more than $60,000. In the main, students said they were studying within the health sector, so high rates of debt are not surprising.

“It is somewhat disheartening to see that our people need to accumulate a significant debt in order to access tertiary education with the hope of securing a well-paying job,” says Puna. “It really shows how vital our educational awards are to helping people walk on their academic path.”

Many respondents indicated that they wished to work in Taranaki once graduated, meaning the highest demand for potential employment is in the Health sector (22%), with Education, Government, Māori and Social work also featuring.

More than 74% indicated that they would like to be part of a future alumni programme and so a two-day wānanga is being planned for November.

“There will be inspirational speakers, workshops and kōrero about what participants would like to see the alumni programme look like going forward,” says Puna. “We are developing a framework and strategy so individuals can provide feedback, and we really want input on what the programme should be called and its purpose.”

“It is an exciting opportunity to build connections, build cultural capacity and bring like-minded people together so they can support each other on their lifetime journey. Forging strong relationships has always been the Māori way; it is one of our superpowers and ensures intergenerational success.”