Principal for a Day 2011

Running annually since 2007, this flagship Smart Waikato project brings together Waikato business and community leaders who shadow a Primary, Intermediate or Secondary School Principal for the day. The aim is for the business leader to gain an appreciation of the challenges that the Principals face and to offer any assistance they can to the school. This may be through mentoring the board, staff or students, offering work experience to students, offering staff visits and the like, leading to projects such as Joining the Dots and Get on the Bus!

Smart Waikato recently organised the fourth Principal For a Day event in the Waikato, where 28 business and community leaders were matched with Principals from around the region to shadow the Principal For a Day.

The day is designed to bring together schools and the business world at a leadership level so that closer links can be forged between the two sectors, creating opportunities for both schools and businesses to benefit and professional development opportunities for teachers in the business world to become available.

It is a day very much valued by Smart Waikato. The business leaders get to experience first-hand the issues that school principals face, as well as their challenges and triumphs. In turn, the school principal is encouraged to visit the Business leaders work at their invitation and hopefully work experience opportunities for school students will ensue.

A reception was held for Principal For a Day participants on August 10 2011 at Wintec, coinciding with the Young Enterprise Scheme Trade Fair. Hamilton Mayor Julie Hardaker participated in the programme and addressed all Waikato participants at this reception.

One “Principal For a Day” said, “Filling the shoes of a principal is not as easy as it seems...observing the challenges and strength of education at work is a valuable exercise for any business leader."

For further information please contact Mary Jensen. See photos from the day, and from the reception held later that evening to celebrate the event.

See Newspaper Articles relating to the day, and past Principal for a Day Events.

Smart Waikato acknowledges COMET as the organisation that originally brought Principal For a Day to New Zealand.