September 22, 2008

Education for Enterprise Project Highly Successful

Two Greymouth High accounting students, Stacey Bowden and Sam MacDonald have been working with finance department staff from the West Coast District Health Board to fine tune processes and develop a cost model for the hospital laundry.

Sam MacDonald and Stacey Bowden flanked by Katrin Geilfuss and Colin Weeks as they look at the draft of their final report.

Mentored by Colin Weeks, Acting Chief Finance Manager and Katrin Geilfuss, Business Analyst and aided by Liz Mehrtens, Laundry Supervisor, the pair are due to present their final project report on Wednesday 24 September. The pair has been supported by District Health Board staff, who have also worked alongside them.

Roz Stuart, Level 3 Accounting teacher at Greymouth High School said, "The project has been hugely successful.  The students have been given the responsibility to undertake the project and present the findings. They have discovered that the theory has to be adapted sometimes to fit the purpose."

West Coast District Health Board General Manager, Corporate Services, Wayne Champion said, "The project has been valuable to both the District Health Board and the students. Several benefits have arisen from the project, including improvements to our administrative processes and the identification of opportunities to improve on laundry service."

The Education for Enterprise project was facilitated by Development West Coast. DWC currently facilitates approximately 60 projects running through 14 schools coast wide. Some of these projects are running internally within the schools and some involve a community partner such as the West Coast District Health Board.

For more information please contact

Bryan Jamieson
Community Liaison Officer
West Coast DHB
PO Box 387
Greymouth 7840
Phone (DDI): (03) 769-7665
Mobile: 027 245-9595
Email: