The Open Polytechnic wins placing at NZIM Awards

Thursday, 28 September 2006, 2:58 pm
Press Release: Open Polytechnic

The Open Polytechnic wins placing at NZIM Awards

Two students from The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand have won second and third place for their presentations at the NZIM Applied Management Awards held in Wellington this week.

Vannesa Davison and Levonne Bell, both Auckland based students, won second and third place respectively.

This is the 12th consecutive year that students from The Open Polytechnic have been amongst the finalists in the NZIM awards. Both students received book vouchers from NZIM for their win.

For Vannesa, who graduated with the NZ Diploma in Business, the NZIM Diploma in Management, and the Diploma in Information Systems from the distance education specialist, being a finalist in the awards was a big pat on the back for all the hard work she has put into her studies.

“I was really excited when I found out that I was in the finals, and was quite nervous prior to the presentation, so I was pleasantly surprised when I won second place” says the Tuakau resident, whose presentation was based on her investigation into how communication with parents could be improved at an Auckland childcare centre.

“As the mother of a special needs child I felt it was an appropriate topic to look into as communication between parents and staff is so important,” says Vannesa who fitted in her studies with The Open Polytechnic around her work as a software analyst and trainer.

Levonne Bell won third place for her presentation based on what motivated staff in a small business in the automotive industry. She completed the Applied Management paper at The Open Polytechnic as the part of her NZ Diploma of Business studies with another institution.

“I was extremely nervous before the finals because I have never presented anything before,” says the 29-year-old Birkdale resident. “I felt really proud of myself for gaining a place. It was a great learning experience to participate in the awards, and I really enjoyed seeing the other student’s presentations.”

A busy mother of three young children, Levonne fitted her studies around her family and her work as an underwriter for a life insurance company.

The Open Polytechnic enrolled over 30,000 students last year, and is New Zealand's specialist provider of open and distance learning, offering a wide range of courses and programmes on a national basis.

ENDS

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