Balancing part-time study with full-time work

A supportive employer has made all the difference for Powerco’s Engineering Services Coordinator Trish Mouton as she completes a New Zealand Diploma in Information Technology (Technical Support) Level 5 at WITT Te Pūkenga and psychology and statistics degrees at Massey University.

She left employment to study full time when an appealing full-time role came up at Powerco.

“I was looking for part-time work but I saw the role at Powerco and discovered they were more than happy to support my study plans allowing me to work and complete the certificate – it was obvious that they really value the investment in education,” says Trish.

Trish is due to complete her certificate at the end of June this year and hopes to move into a business analyst role or a software engineer in the future. In her current role she supports a team of 25 with administration tasks and project work.

Moving to New Zealand from South Africa in her late teens Trish Moulton fully intended to study chemical engineering at tertiary level but once she started earning money she saw the benefits in a hybrid work-study approach to avoid the burden of a large student loan and also discovered chemical engineering wasn’t her calling.

“In hindsight it worked out very well,” she says.

Thinking she’d missed out on the full student-life experience, Trish was delighted to make friends and get a sense of belonging by attending classes in person at the Bell Street campus.

“Going to class was daunting at first – I was worried about being the oldest, but within an hour I had started making friends and discovered people were from all sorts of backgrounds – straight from school, parents with children, the works. Making great friends has been an unexpected bonus.”

“The tutors are amazing too – the personal touch makes a difference and the ease of access compared with university is great – tutors are happy to set aside time to help you understand something outside of lectures.”