Education awards a masterclass in excellence
MEDIA RELEASE
20 May 2009
Institutes of Technology and
Polytechnics of New Zealand
Education awards a masterclass in excellence
ITP New Zealand, the national association for the country’s institutes of technology and polytechnics (ITPs), today announced the finalists for its annual awards.
“The awards show why polytechnics and institutes of technology are the most popular place for Kiwi adults to learn. The finalists can give a masterclass in excellence, real-life relevance and community engagement,” says Dave Guerin, Executive Director of ITP New Zealand.
The winners will be announced on 10 June at ITP New Zealand’s 2009 conference, Skilling New Zealand’s Recovery, in Wellington.
Most nominated is the Waikato Institute of Technology, which goes into the awards as a finalist in five of the six categories.
Finalists
Successful Cooperation
Working
successfully with other education providers, the community
or industry
• UCOL: Whanganui Tertiary Education
Collaborative Venture
• Waikato Institute of
Technology: K’aute Pasifika partnership
Widening
Access
Widening access to learning and supporting
students’ success
• Waiariki Institute of Technology:
iwi radio journalism training
• Western Institute of
Technology: Rugby League Education Academy
Relevant
Learning
Improving the relevance of learning to community
and industry needs
• Waiariki Institute of Technology:
Tokoroa Trade Training Centre
• Waikato Institute of
Technology: Employer engagement
Quality
Improvement
Quality assurance processes that demonstrably
improve student success
• Waikato Institute of
Technology, Self Assessment Model
• Tai Poutini
Polytechnic: development of training and standard assessment
for the Extractive Industry
Global Role
Preparing New
Zealanders to live and work in the wider world, or
supporting the development of education in other
countries
• UNITEC: Global Entrepreneurship Monitor
South Pacific
• Waikato Institute of Technology:
International Centre
Innovative Support
Services
Recognising innovative non-teaching support
services
• UNITEC: Te Noho Kotahitanga Marae, Mount
Albert campus
• Waikato Institute of Technology: SODA
Inc.
Award profiles
ITP New Zealand is the national association for New Zealand’s 20 institutes of technology and polytechnics (ITPs). Its members provide high-quality, relevant and innovative vocational and applied research and education to more than 207,000 New Zealanders every year. ITPs are committed to building skilled communities. www.itpnz.ac.nz
Tai Poutini Polytechnic:
development of training and standard assessment for the
Extractive Industry
– Finalist, Quality
Improvement
When it was unable to find enough New Zealand
skilled workers for its new mine, Pike River Coal approached
Tai Poutini Polytechnic for help to recognise overseas
workers’ skills. The West Coast polytechnic developed a
way to recognise miners’ current competencies without
retraining, with the involvement of NZQA and EXITO. The
model has been made available to the whole extractive
industry and is being used by Tai Poutini for other
courses.
UCOL: Whanganui Tertiary Education Collaborative
Venture
– Finalist, Successful
Cooperation
Convinced that more can be achieved for the
city’s learners by working together, Whanganui’s public
and private education providers joined forces. The River
City collaboration has resulted in improvements in student
participation, success and progression. It is a model for
how the most can be made out of limited resources by
building trust.
UNITEC: Global Entrepreneurship Monitor
South Pacific
– Finalist, Global Role
Unitec’s
Professor Howard Frederick is measuring entrepreneurial
activity in the Pacific, funded by a research grant from the
Australian Overseas Aid Agency. The research will lead to
policy recommendations and training programmes to support
fragile economies in the region. It builds on Unitec’s
long-term involvement in supporting the Global
Entrepreneurship Monitor in New Zealand.
UNITEC: Te Noho
Kotahitanga Marae, Mount Albert campus
– Finalist,
Innovative Support Services
A focal point for students
and staff on campus and a place for celebratory and
ceremonial gatherings, Te Noho Kotahitanga marae opened in
March this year. Many ITPs have marae, but Unitec is
recognised for its work to involve staff and students and
the wider community, its construction philosophy, and for
the fundraising support it generated.
Waiariki Institute
of Technology: Iwi radio journalism training
–
Finalist, Widening Access
Waiariki has been tuning into
iwi radio training needs. Its provides formal journalism
training for te reo Maori broadcasters in partnership with
Te Whakaruruhau, the federation of iwi radio stations, and
supported by Te Mango Paho. This recognises that many iwi
radio staff are fluent in te reo Maori, but lack formal
journalism training. Waiariki has developed a solution that
supports students on the job.
Waiariki Institute of
Technology: Tokoroa Trade Training Centre
– Finalist,
Relevant Learning
A fine example of what can only be
described as “community engineering”. The partnership
between Waiariki Institute of Technology, the district
council and engineering firms has delivered targeted
training to meet a local skills shortage. The Tokoroa Trade
Training Centre has boosted town spirit and stemmed the flow
of young people leaving town.
Waikato Institute of
Technology (Wintec) for its Pasifika partnership
–
Finalist, Successful Cooperation
In an industry first,
Wintec invited K’aute Pasifika, a private training
provider, to relocate to its city campus in Hamilton. The
move resulted in increased Pasifika student enrolments for
both K’aute Pasifika and Wintec, and saw more go on to
achieve higher qualifications. More projects are in the
works, including a possible Pan-Pasifika early childhood
education centre.
Waikato Institute of Technology
(Wintec): Employer engagement
– Finalist Relevant
Learning
Wintec prides itself on giving employers what
they really, really want. They reviewed every one of their
programme advisory committees to ensue that they were
getting the right information and focussing on the right
issues. Industry partners are given opportunities to
influence what is taught in the classroom so that training
is relevant and graduates are work ready. Information is
shared across all industry representatives via a member-only
website.
Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec), Self
Assessment Model
– Finalist, Quality
Improvement
Wintec is involving all staff with the new
self assessment model for quality assurance. Involvement in
the 2008 NZQA trial was used as an opportunity to focus on
student outcomes and build capability across the whole
organisation, with council and staff supporting the
necessary changes to embed a new system.
Waikato
Institute of Technology (Wintec), International Centre
– Finalist, Global Role
Wintec has bucked the
national trend and grown its Chinese international student
numbers, thanks to a successful partnership strategy with
tertiary institutions in China. A Beijing office provides
local contact and expertise, and “pathway” study allows
students to study first in China and complete their
qualification with Wintec in Hamilton. A targeted and
consistent marketing strategy has paid off.
Waikato
Institute of Technology (Wintec): SODA Inc.
– Finalist,
Innovative Support Services
Fizzing with new ideas,
Wintec’s aptly named creative business incubator, SODA
Inc., opened in October last year. It was established to
attract and retain young creative talent in Hamilton, and to
help create a destination for the city’s entrepreneurial
graduates.
Western Institute of Technology (WITT): Rugby
League Education Academy
– Finalist, Widening
Access
Headed up by Rob Hewitt, the diver who survived a
remarkable 75 hours lost at sea off the Kapiti Coast, this
Taranaki academy is in a league of its own. It empowers
students to become valued members of society through
education and sport. In its first year (2009), its team won
the rugby league section of the NZ University
Games.
ENDS