Information for parents, family and whanau

What study or training decisions will my child be making?

As a parent you want your child to make the best decisions they can. You may feel outside your comfort zone when they turn to you, and unsure of how to help. Keep reading to find out what decisions your child may have to face and how you can support them.

Understanding where your child is at

You might be interested to know that most young people, independent as they seem, do not feel ready to make big decisions. It can be a big ask, trying to decide what to do when they leave school. There can be immense pressure on them to make the right decision. The best thing you can do is to let your child know you are there for them.

Stages of career development

Some decisions your child may be facing are:

What do I want to be?
Should I leave school, or should I stay?
Should I go into industry training or should I do a course?
Where should I go? Do I want to stay in town, or do I want to study elsewhere?
My friends are going to university. Do I want to go with them?
What will it be like if I move away from home?
I just want to get a job, so where do I start?
I am not ready to make a decision, so I want to do a gap year. Where do I start?

There seem to be endless options, and it can be hard to know which will be the best. What you can do is listen to and support your child. Try not to push them into making a decision if they are clearly not ready.

Leaving school

One of the first career decisions your child will make is whether they should stay at school or whether they should leave. Some students want to complete their secondary education before deciding what they will do. Others prefer to move into trade training or an apprenticeship, rather than stay at school.

A recent study from the Ministry of Education shows that 13% of all New Zealand school leavers in 2005 left school with no formal qualification. There are many options available to early school leavers, such as finding a job or enrolling in a Youth Training course. These courses are set up to help students who don’t achieve well at school to move into employment and further tertiary education.

Source: Ministry of Education, ‘Students’ Transition between School and Tertiary Education’, 2005.

: What are my child's options after school?

Explore those options by looking at the webpages below:

Deciding what’s next

Deciding what to do after leaving school may be one of the most difficult decisions facing your child right now. Assure them that although the decision needs to be made carefully, whatever they decide isn't for the rest of their life. Encourage them to explore all their options and choose something that feels right for them.

Some of the questions on your child's mind might be:

Should I study or take a gap year?
Should I work and save some money?
Should I go to polytech or university, or train on the job?

Have a look at the webpages below to help your child make a better decision about their career steps after school.

Help for secondary students

Help for parents, family and whānau

Decisions when looking into industry training, trade training or an apprenticeship

So your child has taken the first step and decided to do industry or trade training, or an apprenticeship. This is a good way to gain a qualification and earn some money while working. Your child will now be deciding what industry or trade training option may be best for them.

What are your child's training options? – Find the best option

: How does my child get into an apprenticeship?

Once your child has decided exactly what they want to do, there are a few steps to follow to get into industry training or a Modern Apprenticeship. Find out about them here:

Decisions once your child has decided on tertiary study

If your child has decided to go into further study, they will now be trying to decide on a course of study. Guide them to the decision-making section of the website.

What do I want to be? - help for secondary students and school leavers

Once they have decided on a course of study, the next step will be to decide where to study. The same course can often be studied at different training providers. It’s important to spend time researching the different courses.

What are your child's tertiary study options? – find out more
Courses database – find the best course for your child
Action plan for going into tertiary study – this will help your child to get organised (PDF – 253KB)

: My child wants to study, what about the costs?

Money often plays an important role when deciding on tertiary study. Financial support may be available and it is certainly worth finding out how your child may benefit. You can help your child make decisions about: