Education Entrepreneur Buys Nz Fashion Tech
August 9, 2017 - New Zealand is back on the radar for entrepreneur and tertiary education heavyweight Feroz Ali, who moved to Canada two
years ago to launch an international education company, Asia Pacific Education (APEDU).
This month Ali will purchase NZ Fashion Tech, an award-winning fashion and garment technology college which delivers
training to more than 200 students each year at its three campuses. NZ Fashion Tech is a Category One provider (the
highest possible NZQA ranking), and is the first New Zealand acquisition for APEDU, whose portfolio already includes top
Canadian tertiary education providers Canadian Tourism College, CG Masters School of 3D Animation & VFX, and Sterling College. A leader in vocational training for the fashion industry, NZ Fashion Tech graduates can be
found at the forefront of the fashion field, both here and overseas.
“NZ Fashion Tech has been around longer than many schools in New Zealand and is an amazing example of a small private
training establishment (PTE) punching above its weight,” says Ali.
“It’s a school that prides itself on always staying relevant to the fashion industry, and the calibre of training it
delivers is exceptional. This year, for the fourth year running, the college has been awarded the Prime Minister’s
Scholarship for Asia. This is unprecedented! Thanks to this scholarship, 15 of our students are currently spending six
weeks in India learning about the apparel and textile industry. It is a life-changing opportunity for them.”
Another highlight on the NZ Fashion Tech calendar is the upcoming New Zealand Fashion Week, when 16 of its students will
showcase their silk creations at the highly-anticipated Resene Designer Runway event. It’s the ultimate kick-start to a
budding fashion designer’s career.
“These kinds of events, and this kind of industry recognition, is what gives our graduates the leading edge in this
highly competitive industry.”
In addition to NZ Fashion Tech, plans are in the pipeline for further APEDU acquisitions here in New Zealand.
“New Zealand will always be home for me, and the private tertiary sector is what I know best.”
Ali is a highly respected leader in the private education sector both here and abroad. He founded New Zealand Career
College (NZCC) in 2004, selling it to Academic Colleges Group (ACG) ten years later, before being appointed to the role
of Divisional Chief Executive for ACG’s tertiary division. He was instrumental in ACG’s acquisition of NZMA and the New
Zealand School of Tourism, helping grow the newly-formed ACG Tertiary & Careers Group to over 6000 students. It became the largest funded PTE in New Zealand within the first 12 months. He was
also part of the executive team involved in the sale of ACG to Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) in 2015.
In addition, Ali has chaired peak body group Independent Tertiary Institutions (now Quality Tertiary Institutions), and
has worked closely with Education New Zealand to help lift industry and institutional performance and contribute to the
development of an international education strategy for NZ. In Canada, he serves on the Board of Directors for the BC
Council for International Education by the Ministry of Advanced Education.
For Ali, reinvesting in New Zealand is an opportunity to share his enthusiasm, passion and expertise, and help shape the
future of New Zealand’s tertiary education sector.
“I am delighted to be bringing the knowledge I acquired in Canada back home. I’m here to do things slightly differently
– to shake things up a little!”
ENDS