Polytechnic school of design senior lecturer Morgan Oliver said the Digital Media and Design Showcase at the polytechnic’s hub was an annual event and would end tomorrow.
It was fantastic to see some students who thought they would never go on to higher education, or never even finish school, embrace their artistic side and go on to further academic programmes within the polytechnic, Mr Oliver said.
While some components were about teaching the students the basics of web design, the laser project encouraged them to get in touch with their heritage and create something representing their cultural background.
His design course was a ‘‘bridging’’ one and it was great to see people who had perhaps struggled to complete school go on to study for degrees at the polytechnic.
Among his students was a woman in her late 20s who had never thought she would go to polytechnic or to university. However, due to her drive and creative efforts she had been accepted into a product design programme.
‘‘She’s just a real success story.’’
Another student who had excelled was a young man from New Caledonia whose skills were already at degree level. The challenge was to keep him occupied, Mr Oliver said.
The exhibition began on Monday night and is open to the public from 11am to 3pm, today and Friday.
