Pre-planning
Biscotti dipping (click to enlarge)
Marietjie was approached in late 2007 by Janet Hunt of the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) which was trialling an Enterprising Technologies project in 2008. In previous years YES had involved students in Business/Enterprise Studies classes forming a company to sell a product, and this focus of the scheme continued. Enterprising Technologies would be based in Food Technology classrooms and students would work on projects which combined YES with the senior Technology curriculum. One feature of YES projects is that there is often an interesting story behind the product and it was suggested that Marietjie's class work on developing something based on the Wellington High School green bread.
After discussing the initiative with Janet, Marietjie agreed to participate and joined Food Technology teachers from Tararua College (Pahiatua), Hastings Girls' High School, and St John's College (Hastings) in the pilot programme. Marietjie and Rachel Ireland (Tararua College) attended a YES training day in Wellington where they went over the requirements of the scheme. Marietjie notes that YES help and support was only a phone call away.
YES organised clients for the schools - Wellington High and Tararua were allocated Wishbone, a Wellington-based company with a chain of ready-to-eat food shops. Although the two schools worked separately, they attended the same activities or venues so teachers and students did get to know each other.
Green bread (click to enlarge)
Marietjie started the year with a combined Year 12/13 Food Technology class of 12 students, who ranged widely in ability and motivation. Some had come through from Year 9 Food Technology, while others were taking the subject for the first time and found it quite difficult picking up knowledge and skills and getting on with the project. Marietjie decided that in order to cater for the diverse nature of the class she would offer NCEA Achievement Standards and Unit Standards – ensuring everyone had the opportunity to finish the year with some credits. Most worked towards Unit Standards and four on Achievement Standards.
The whole class began work on an Enterprising Technology project, and students were divided into two companies based on year level. The Year 12s, however, found the programme more challenging and were not as successful in developing a group business. At the beginning of term 2 Marietjie took this group out of Enterprising Technology and they focussed instead on developing individual projects, which they presented for NCEA assessment. This case study focusses on the second group which named its company Kai Hauora (Healthy Food).
