Open Polytechnic
Media Release: Immediate
Date: 8.11.2013
Open Polytechnic wins innovation award
The Open Polytechnic won the award for Innovation at the 2013 Westpac Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce Business Awards
held last night (7 November) at the Avalon Film and Television Studios, Lower Hutt.
The Lower Hutt-based distance tertiary education specialist is one of the largest educators of New Zealand’s workforce,
enrolling around 34,000 mainly adult learners every year.
Open Polytechnic Chief Executive, Dr Caroline Seelig, says the Polytechnic is delighted with its award win. “As an
organisation that continually pursues ground breaking solutions that deliver flexible educational experiences for our
students, accepting this award for Innovation is an excellent endorsement of the work we are doing.”
A standout in the winning Innovation entry was the introduction of the NCEA Top-Up pilot project. The project supports
the government’s Better Public Services goals by using innovative methodologies to engage with 16 -26 year olds and help
them achieve their NCEA related educational goals.
The introduction of a number of new qualifications to suit national up skilling needs, and the in-house development of
new online technologies to further enhance services to students were also key features of the Open Polytechnic’s winning
entry.
Representatives from businesses throughout the Hutt Valley community attended the 2013 Westpac Hutt Valley Chamber of
Commerce Business Awards to celebrate the achievements of local business and the contribution they make to the regional
economy.
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