Green-fingered Oamaru students will next year help restore earthquake-damaged Christchurch's image as the Garden City.
Aoraki Polytechnic has announced a new horticulture course, aimed at aiding the Christchurch re-build, will be available at its Oamaru campus.
The Timaru-based polytechnic recently released its 2014 prospectus, which included a new Introductory National Certificate in Horticulture (Level 2) course, available in Oamaru.
Aoraki Polytechnic acting chief executive Alex Cabrera said the course had been introduced both to counteract skill shortages in Christchurch, and contribute to the repair of the city.
''The programme has an emphasis on graduates being ready for work on completion and enabling students to gain key connections and an understanding of the industry.''
Mr Cabrera said, dependent on sufficient enrolment numbers, the new course would take the number of study options on offer in the town to 16.
He added that the institution was ''very pleased'' that next year's prospectus continued to provide regional educational services.
''Because it is a regional provider, Aoraki Polytechnic offers a regionally-based network of provision that is based on the needs of the community.
''Aoraki Polytechnic is aware that students living in this region are under-qualified compared with the national average, so many of the programmes that the Aoraki Polytechnic offers have been designed to help address this problem.
''In Oamaru, Aoraki Polytechnic is also collaborating with other organisations such as Literacy North Otago and the Salvation Army, providing them with the use of our facilities, including specialist facilities such as kitchens and computer suites.''
A free daily bus service to take Oamaru students to the Timaru campus would also continue in 2014, he said.
