A Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre spokeswoman said the number of Maori and Pacifica students enrolled at Telford had more than doubled to 30 as part of its Whenua Kura Maori Pacific trades training programme (MPTT).
A partnership between Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre and the Whenua Kura Charitable Trust meant the trust’s dairy, dry stock and beekeeping programmes would become a "staple offering" at Telford.
The group this week worked on the Balclutha Community Garden as part of the programme.
Community garden secretary Beatrice Pratt said the group had worked tirelessly on several projects.
The Whenua Kura students had been at Telford for about three weeks and were "loving it", she said.
Training operations at Telford were recently transferred to Taratahi in a takeover from Lincoln University.
Whenua Kura Charitable Trust kaihautu Renata Hakiwai said the high demand for the training programme showed young Maori and Pacifica students were drawn to the increasing number of job opportunities in the primary sector.
"Maori agribusiness is now worth in excess of $42 billion — so young Maori are seeing both a career path and a way to live and earn a living on many iwi primary sector operations."
Mr Hakiwai said all the students who graduated from last year’s programme found jobs "straight away".
"We know that they are work ready when they have completed these programmes," he said.
The students spent three days at the Hokonui Marae in Gore where they were introduced to Ngai Tahu culture and values.
Each student will enrol in one of three strands of qualifications offered at the Telford campus.
Mr Hakiwai said when the trust learned Taratahi was likely to acquire Telford, it was keen to expand on its relationship with the campus and forge a new partnership with Taratahi.
Taratahi chief executive Arthur Graves said the partnership grew the base of Taratahi’s educational delivery to Maori and Pacifica students at its Telford and Wairarapa campuses.
Mr Graves said there had been some great successes with its MPTT students at Wairarapa.
"We know that this type of educational delivery is the way to go to fulfil the workforce needs of the sector and lift Maori and Pacifica achievement at the same time," he said.
Whenua Kura was a Christchurch-based collective enterprise between iwi and industry which operated across New Zealand.
The Telford Campus houses about 78 students in addition to the 30 Maori and Pacifica students in the MPTT programme.
