Diploma in Information and Communications Technology

By JANINE OGIER

The course: Manukau Institute of Technology offers the Diploma in Information and Communications Technology level 5 as the first course in a programme of study for people interested in jobs in the information technology world.

Students can approach the course on a full- or part-time basis. For fulltime students, an average 18 hours of class time is scheduled each week and they are expected to spend another 18 hours studying in their own time.

Graduates get jobs in roles such as trainee programmer, software support and sales, helpdesk operator, service technician, trainee website designer, junior network administrator and junior database administrator.

The jobs spectrum widens for graduates who pursue further study in the Diploma in Information and Communications Technology level 6, the National Diploma in Business Computing, or a Bachelor of Information Systems.

Students tackle 18 courses over 36 weeks, split into two semesters and four terms.

They cover papers on business applications, business communications, data organisation, hardware fundamentals, interpersonal skills, program development, programming principles, systems overview, ethics and professionalism, database management systems, internet and multimedia, network management, operating systems, PC hardware skills, programming principles and practice, software applications, and integration of software applications.

Assessment is a mixture of examinations and assignments.

The diploma begins in February, April, July or October and applications are accepted up to two weeks before to allow time for an interview. There is no limit on student numbers.

Applicants need Sixth Form Certificate with 18 or less in the top four subjects, including English or NCEA equivalent, or to be over 20 and achieve a good result in a placement test and show keyboard proficiency, or to have successfully completed the Certificate in Computing.

Fees are approximately $1863 a semester, including GST, and students need to budget for $250 worth of books.

What graduates think

Paul Sanderson, 22

Digital media designer

The Learning Curve

Graduated 2001


"I always dabbled in computers at school, but I didn't really know what I wanted to do.

"The first year gives you an all-round base and a taste of everything you could do in computing.

"I liked the hands-on approach. They'd teach you a bit and then you'd go away and work on an exercise. For instance, they'd tell you about java script and then I'd go and play with the java script and actually make it do something.

"It was a good mix between theory and practical, and there were small classes of about 20 people.

"So then I moved on and I tailored the courses in the following years to what I wanted to do - media design.

"A good thing about the course is the communication skills aspect.

"When I first started I could maybe do a minute-long speech if my life depended on it. But by the end of the first year, there was a vast improvement as we always had to present the papers in front of the class.

"By the end of the fourth year (Bachelor of Information Systems), I could give a half-hour presentation off the top of my head without notes.

"It builds your confidence and helps when it comes to job interviews."

What employers think

Michelle Martin

Operations manager

The Learning Curve

Auckland


"The diploma makes a difference to us, but qualifications are not the initial thing we look for when employing someone.

"We have a large contractor pool, so the people we need to do the work for our clients need to be relatively skilled application-wise, as opposed to knowing the theory of it.

"So the first criteria that we look for is relevant and up-to-date application of the qualifications they have got.

"Showing that application could involve anything, such as a project they've done in their studies. So long as they can apply the skills we need, we are happy.

"The people that we have had come out of MIT have all been up to speed in terms of what we need, so that's a really good indication that they are not just learning the theory behind what they are doing, they are learning the application of it as well."

THE QUALIFICATION

Diploma in Information and Communications Technology level 5

Manukau Institute of Technology


Phone: 0800 626252

Email