Educators from Auckland are being brought to Oamaru to deliver a tailored six-week training programme — Project Fetu.
Oamaru Pacific Island Trust (OPIT) chief executive Mata’aga Hana Fanene-Taiti said the pilot differed from "traditional training pathways", which were often inaccessible due to cost, distance or time.
"Project Fetu is about creating hybrid, community-based ways of learning that meet people where they are, not just for Pacific people but for those in rural areas too.
"The initiative allows us to provide alternative hybrid ways of upskilling members in our community, especially from a rural perspective.
"We don’t have tertiary providers here, so this highlights the demand and the need from the regions, but also a different way of teaching and learning that could benefit others too."
The pilot programme involved 10 learners from industry partners carpet-maker Godfrey Hirst and meat processor Alliance, with evening training sessions running from 4.30pm-6.30pm on Mondays and Tuesdays.
"We really want to get this through as a ‘proof of concept’ to try and put together another business case to run another programme next year," she said.
"We hope it’ll be a success and then we can create other development opportunities for the whole country."
She said in towns such as Oamaru, where local economies relied heavily on a few employers, industry changes could have big impacts.
"For some, this micro-credential could open the door to new roles in construction or manufacturing.
"For others, it’s a chance to step up into supervisory or managerial positions, roles Pacific workers have historically struggled to access."
The project is being delivered at OPIT’s Learning Hub.
