Auckland’s education sector received yet another boost with the opening of the international campus of the Otago Polytechnic last fortnight.
A joint venture with Future Skills Academy based in Manukau, the international campus, located at 350 Queen Street (Level Two) in Auckland’s Central Business District, will offer English language programmes and a graduate degree (BA) course in Applied Management.
Otago Polytechnic chief executive Phil Kher claimed that the courses were different to those currently available in other institutions.
“International students and those with long work histories but few qualifications, represent different aspects of the education market. Both will benefit with the opening of the Campus,” he said at the inaugural function held on March 21.
“Our philosophy is to use the real world of business as rich learning material. Our Bachelor of Applied Management degree is based on industry projects and students undertake a 400-hour internship in their final year,” he said.
The Campus will also host the Auckland office of ‘Capable NZ,’ the innovative arm of the Polytechnic, which enables people with extensive experience but few qualifications to have their skills and knowledge assessed against formal standards.
Mr Kher said that the process enabled many to discover that they have already earned a qualification in the course of their lives.
“Otago Polytechnic can then provide the ‘balance of learning’ to enable them to achieve their qualification. This can involve using real projects based in the workplace as opportunities for critical reflection and learning, making Capable NZ an increasingly popular professional development approach,” he said.
According to Mr Kher, Capable NZ is student-oriented and assists students in achieving their goals.
“We are convinced that this represents the future for education,” he said.
