The Youth Search and Rescue Tauranga Trust is among eight successful applicants for the 2017 Community Internships Programme.

The programme provides community organisations with a paid intern with specialist knowledge and for YSAR this will be an experienced educator helping to develop NZQA aligned training resources.

YSAR chairman Steve Campbell says much of their current programme could be used by students to gain NCEA accreditation.

'We're getting someone from Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology to construct our training modules for the programme,” he says.

'There are a lot of outdoor education credits available on the national framework, so we're looking to capture as many of those as possible for our students who go through the programme.”

This is the second time the group has applied for funding, and Steve is thrilled YSAR has been selected.

He hopes to expand the programme and take it nationwide next year, while still being based in Tauranga.

'We've had a lot of interest from other regions. So next year's going to be about getting these modules together and setting up the national entity.”

Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Jo Goodhew says the internship programme focuses on skill-sharing and the exchange of knowledge between sectors, and builds ongoing relationships that continue long after the internship ends.

'These interns will bring knowledge and experience to the eight organisations which will benefit their work in our communities, and enhance their organisational capabilities into the future.”

THE EIGHT SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS:

• Arthritis Foundation of New Zealand Inc
• Bishop's Action Foundation
• Buller Rural Education Activities Programme Incorporated
• Dunedin Community Care Trust
• Macular Degeneration New Zealand
• Wesley Wellington Mission Incorporated
• Whangarei Youth Space Trust
• Youth Search and Rescue Tauranga Trust