Diploma of Website Design

By JANINE OGIER

The course

Natcoll Design Technology's Diploma of Website Design aims to teach budding internet gurus how to design, produce and manage a website.

Graduates can pursue jobs in web design or client-side web development.

The full-time NZQA level six course is taught at Natcoll campuses in Auckland, Mangere, Wellington and Christchurch.

Students cover web programming, graphic design, digital video, web animation, digital imaging, and web management in the 35-week course.

There's 24 hours of tutor contact each week, mainly in Macintosh computer suites, and students are expected to study for 12 hours in their own time.

There are no marks or examinations. Students have to produce all projects to a commercial level and each student is encouraged to develop their own style, while also meeting high technical standards.

Theory units cover computer and data management, image capture using digital cameras, digital image creation and manipulation, layout design, interface and navigation design, and web page design and construction.

Students also tackle units on HTML and Javascript programming, database manipulation, dynamic web content creation, animation for the internet, digital video and sound for the internet, web hosting, and internet security issues.

Each student must complete an industry project or a major web assignment.

Applicants need to be enthusiastic about working in a computer environment, be visually creative and have strong analytical and organisational skills.

The next course in Auckland is from October 4 to June 29.

Applications are taken up to the start date but there's a maximum of 20 students.

Fees total $5500 including GST.

What students think

Edo Komari, 23

Freelance web designer

Graduated 2004


"The website design course is a general course. I wanted to learn a broad range of things rather than being specialised.

"They have got a mix of web design theory and practice and a little bit of computer programming.

"There's also the multimedia side of web design like photography and video. For a year-long course it is pretty dense. There's a lot of things to learn.

"If you are really keen on web design there's heaps of things to learn in your own time.

"You can extend yourself if you are motivated and the tutors have lots of knowledge and are happy to share it. If you are passive you won't get as much out of it.

"In the last seven weeks of the course students have to look for their own client and design a website.

"So as well as knowing how to design a website you also learn how to deal with clients and how to make recommendations to clients. That is useful if you are setting up your own business or going freelance."

What employers think

James Star

Director

Max-Gen Media

Auckland

"Our main focus is web development. We are a portal for multimedia purposes, branding people's business on a website.

"I look for talented people who have a natural ability and who understand the business, people who love the industry and have a passion for it.

"I have come from a background of being self-taught and learning from experience.

"When I'm looking to employ someone I ask them to show their portfolio, I see how keen they are, and ask what their direction is.

"Any education is good as long as the student can show they absorbed. I expect them to have learned to use a blend of different tools to build a website.

"From a graphics point of view that is Adobe Photoshop and from the database side it is a main language such as ASP.net technology.

"At Natcoll they cover a wide range of what the students require and the rest is learnt from experience.

"There's quite a lot of competition to get into this industry. There are opportunities for people to be freelancers to start with."

The qualification

Natcoll Design Technology

Phone: 09 303 3120

www.natcoll.ac.nz

joel.supeck@natcoll.ac.nz

Initial salary: Around $30,000 to $35,000 annually