Practical experience trumps textbook knowledge for 22 Marlborough Boys' College students who are part of a Gateway programme giving them real life experience in the industries they want to enter.
The group hosted their work experience employers for lunch at the Clubs of Marlborough yesterday to say thanks for taking them under their wing.
Boys' college careers and transition manager Peter Kemp said the scheme gave the students an insight into the industries they were interested in and let them see options other than university.
One employer in the programme, Dave Knight, of Knight Plumbing, employed 16-year-old Ryan Black and said he was "quite pleased" with Ryan's progress.
"The plumbing industry is built on knowledge and practice and being in the field is where you learn that. It's not something you can learn in the classroom", he said.
Ryan said before he began working for Mr Knight, he knew very little about the industry, but has since "learned a lot".
Prior to working with Mr Knight at the start of this year, Ryan, as well as the other boys, went through a rigorous interview process with both their prospective employers and with Mr Kemp.
None of the boys were guaranteed a spot in the programme or with their potential employers, which gave them a sense of what it was like in the real world, Mr Kemp said.
They each work one day a week for their employer.
Deputy Mayor Jenny Andrews, who also attended the function, said the council supported the programme because it gave students the opportunity to see for themselves how their industries work.
In a speech to the group, Marlborough Boys' College principal Wayne Hegarty said the Gateway programme gave the students "something practical which has meaning when they go back to school".
"If you've got a reason to learn you're more likely to do it", he said.
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