Northland tertiary institute NorthTec will become part of Te Pūkenga - New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology, from October 1.
Northland tertiary institute NorthTec will become part of Te Pūkenga - New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology, from October 1.
Northland tertiary institute NorthTec will become part of Te Pūkenga - New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology from October, but the move will give more support - and courses - for students, and benefit employers and the wider community, says NorthTec's Te Ahurei chief executive, Toa Faneva.
The move to the national body will see NorthTec become officially known as Te Pūkenga in Te Tai Tokerau. The NorthTec name will remain as the trading name, but will be phased out over the next year as the Te Pūkenga brand is further socialised, he said.
The move - from October 1 - will bring Northland Polytechnic Ltd into one organisation with Aotearoa New Zealand's Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs) and Industry Training Organisations (ITOs).
Faneva said the decision to transition to Te Pūkenga will enable NorthTec to complete the process before the busy end of the academic and calendar year.
"There will be no change to the day-to-day teaching and learning activities of kaimahi (staff) and ākonga (learners). All relationships with kaiako (tutors), learning support services and programmes will continue. We remain committed to providing ākonga with an exceptional learning experience that will support them into their future careers,'' Faneva said.
"We will continue to hold strong and productive relationships with iwi and hāpu, employers, industry, and communities in Te Tai Tokerau. These relationships are an integral part of delivering vocational education that meets the needs of learners in our region.
"Supporting successful outcomes for learners remains our priority, and that will not change. Over time, being part of Te Pūkenga will enable us to develop our capability to support work-based, campus-based, and online learning as a unified system. This will provide a comprehensive network of study opportunities for our ākonga."
Toa Faneva, NorthTec's Te Ahurei chief executive.
He said as a result of the move to the national body, ākonga will receive more support while they are training, and vocational education that is more relevant to employer industries here in Northland.
''Ākonga will be able to move more easily between regions, and between work-based and provider-based training. They will be able to continue training more easily if their employment situation changes. Employers will receive more support through the integration of the Industry Training Organisation (ITO) sector into Te Pūkenga, which over time will enable more seamless support for employers, delivering the skills they need in the environments that work for them,'' Faneva said.
''Our partnerships will be strengthened through delivering on hāpu/iwi aspirations and delivery in areas that are priorities for our Māori ākonga and to help grow our Māori economies in Te Tai Tokerau. Our ability to leverage value from the size and scale of Te Pūkenga means we can explore options and innovative approaches to support communities in the North, which we haven't been able to achieve in the past.''
When asked if he saw any current courses being dropped or new courses started up in the future as a result of the transition, Faneva said: "We envisage aligning our courses to the industries and priorities that the region needs to ensure we are relevant. The Regional Skills Leadership Group regional workforce plan and advice from the Workforce Development Councils support our course developments going forward. We will offer courses from as wide a base as possible, but will focus on where there is highest demand - so, in areas of health/hauora and social services; trades and technology; primary industries; future work needs in infrastructure, climate change and energy sectors; and Mātauranga Māori.
''This will be made easier by the unification of programmes, so ākonga can start a Bachelor of Nursing in, for example, Christchurch, and complete the same programme in the North. And we can access new programmes and courses by being part of Te Pūkenga - if there is a course in Dunedin that would fit the needs of our community, then we can bring that into our region.
''We are, in 2023, looking at new courses such as the unified Bachelor of Nursing programme, and in the social services arena extending the Whānau Ora Diploma programme. In the trades, we are looking at advancing our current offering in plumbing, and other unified building and construction programmes. We expect to continue adding new programmes, for example the Bachelor of Māori Nursing, from 2024 onwards.''
He said there will be costs associated with the transition, including rebranding. ''We will work under the guidance of Te Pūkenga, taking a pragmatic and phased approach with a scheduled roll-out as assets are replaced, and as part of a national marketing and student recruitment campaign.''
■ NorthTec employs 153 tutorial staff and has 2,472 ākonga enrolled across all programmes and all campuses. NorthTec is teaching 98 qualifications, with 137 programmes being delivered across all campuses.
