Purpose
Developing the health workforce is an ongoing concern, especially in New Zealand, where Māori and Pasifika populations are under-represented. Programme Incubator (PI) was developed by a health provider to raise awareness of careers in the health sector. The purpose of this paper is to report on a study undertaken in a tertiary institution which involved tracking and mentoring students who had been engaged in PI, and mentoring them through their tertiary studies.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 40 students (n=40) were recruited into the four year study, which involved a survey and participating in focus groups.
Findings
PI was found to be an effective initiative of encouraging secondary students to enter a career in health, but more work is needed to facilitate students’ choice of tertiary provider and academic programme. Within the tertiary sector, mentoring was found to be lacking.
Originality/value
Group mentoring and peer mentoring are introduced to mitigate these concerns and provide students with the mentoring support they require.
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