Ker optimistic about Otago Plan
It's now a waiting game for Southern polytechnics that have submitted proposals demanding changes to Government plans to reform the sector.
Protect Our Polytech
From factory to future
From factory to future
Like the Ministry of Education, Prof Richard Mitchell believes New Zealand’s vocational education and training (VET) system is long overdue for change.
Opinion: Minister's concerns addressed South
Education Minister's concerns already addressed South
Otago Polytechnic is Central to education, writes Central Otago Mayor Tim Cadogan.
Council votes unanimously to support submission
Council votes unanimously to support submission
The Dunedin City Council has reiterated its support for the Otago Polytechnic and its chief executive Phil Ker.
Engineering a career switch
Engineering a career switch
Never in her wildest dreams did Charlotte Flaherty imagine she would retrain, at the age of 44, as a mechanical engineer.
Work on robotic arm aimed at aiding man with cerebral palsy
Work on robotic arm aimed at aiding man with cerebral palsy
An electrical engineering student is undertaking a once-in-a-lifetime project at Otago Polytechnic, as she prepares to programme a $15,000 robotic arm for a young man with cerebral palsy.
Centralised model could spell end of distance learning
Centralised model could spell end of distance learning
Thomas Tarurongo Wynne, who is studying for a master’s degree in applied management through Otago Polytechnic’s Capable NZ programme, is based in the Cook Islands.
Bridges backs Ker's alternative plan
Bridges backs Ker's alternative plan
National Party leader Simon Bridges is adding his voice to the number of local community and business players backing the alternative polytechnic merger proposal put forward by Otago Polytechnic.
Govt looking in the wrong direction
Govt looking in the wrong direction
Carnegie Scholar Vaneeta D’Andrea, an internationally respected expert in tertiary teaching models, writes an open letter to Minister of Education Chris Hipkins in regard to his proposals to...
Relationships with Maori would continue
Relationships with Maori would continue
Work that Otago Polytechnic is doing with Maori partners in the community is so important it is unlikely to be compromised if a national merger proposal goes ahead, polytechnic leaders say.
Hiring of apprentices at risk
Hiring of apprentices at risk: ITO
More than half of trade employers would hire fewer apprentices if the Government implemented its polytechnic proposal, a new survey indicates.
Otago Polytech making 'very compelling case'
Otago Polytech making 'very compelling case'
The Protect Our Polytech campaign seems to be gaining traction, with Education Minister Chris Hipkins calling Otago Polytechnic's argument "compelling".
Future of polytechs: Ker's master plan
Future of polytechs: Ker's master plan
Otago Polytechnic's Phil Ker admits he wasn't pleased at plans to centralise the tertiary institutions. But his frustration galvanised him into action and he's devised a plan to ‘‘refine the reform’’.
Measure of support from SIT for Ker's proposal
Measure of support from SIT for Ker's proposal
The Southland Institute of Technology appears somewhat supportive of an alternative vocational education model proposed by the head of the Otago Polytechnic.
Chamber of Commerce backs polytechnic
Chamber of Commerce backs polytechnic
Top-quality people could choose to study at other places if Otago Polytechnic loses its edge under a Government plan to merge the country's polytechnics, the Otago Chamber of Commerce says.
Hipkins to attend Otago Polytech meeting
Hipkins to attend Otago Polytech meeting
Education Minister Chris Hipkins's office has confirmed he will definitely be speaking at a public meeting in the Otago Polytechnic Hub tomorrow night.
Save our polytech: Heeding lessons from past
Heeding lessons from the past vital to future of our rangatahi
Dunedin entrepreneur and recently awarded 2019 New Zealand Innovator of the Year Ian Taylor offers some advice to the Government in the wake of proposed changes to the country’s polytechnics.
Saving southern polytechnics
Saving southern polytechnics
Make no mistake. The Government's initial proposals to change vocational education are massive. They represent a revolution not an evolution.
Institution’s leader not one to give up easily
Institution’s leader not one to give up easily
As the polytechnic sector faces a major overhaul, it is relevant to note Otago Polytechnic chief executive Phil Ker used to run marathons, writes Shane Gilchrist.