Produced by Wellington Institute of Technology                                                              December 2011

WelTec is pleased to bring you the final 2011 issue of our Connection magazine linking industry and our stakeholders with the latest WelTec news and achievements.

Highlights of 2011

2011 has seen many fantastic achievements for WelTec. We will finish the year with more than 10,000 learners equating to more than 4,600 Equivalent Full-Time Students (EFTS). Our proportion of young students is increasing with almost 60% under the age of 25.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all our stakeholders for their involvement and support of WelTec through the year.

Best wishes for the holiday season and 2012.

Linda Sissons
Chief Executive

Highlights include

WelTec rating second in New Zealand for qualification completion amongst Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics. WelTec and Iwi combining forces to mentor young Maori to succeed in their studies with WelTec's Tamaiti Whangai initiative receiving a high profile. Our approach for Maori will become even more important as our Maori roll continues to increase (now at 16% of our total student population). The first year of operation of the WelTec Trades Academy. The Beehive launch by the Minister of Education of the new Bachelor of Youth Development. Contributing to the Skills for Canterbury strategy with 100 additional young people learning trades and students building two houses to be donated to Christchurch. Winning the Nestlé Toque d'Or competition and significant progress with the build of the new WelTec School of Hospitality alongside Le Cordon Bleu New Zealand at the Regent Centre in Wellington. Delivery of creative technologies skills at Cyberport in Hong Kong and accolades for the creative technologies students' exhibition at the Academy of Fine Arts Wellington. Continued high levels of employer satisfaction with WelTec graduates and increased cadetships. WelTec Connect Ltd (WelTec's service and commercial subsidiary) in its first full year of operation with many new partnerships in Wellington and the Hutt Valley. New R&D strategic partnerships with organisations such as NEC. Advisory chairs attended a successful forum with the Council in July. We canvassed a range of topical issues and we plan to repeat this in 2012.

WelTec Connect Ltd - the Year in Highlights

Peter Steel, Chair of the Board of WelTec Connect Ltd reports on the first full year of operation of WelTec’s service and commercial subsidiary.  "I am pleased with what we’ve achieved this year.  We have been able to work directly with more than 30 technology and manufacturing companies based in the Hutt Valley.  Five of these companies have been confirmed as recipients of Technology Transfer Vouchers which will provide financial assistance for their R&D projects.  We’re currently working with more companies to access this funding."

"WelTec Connect’s focus this year has been bringing services to these high-value manufacturing companies and cementing our business processes so we can deliver value-add to more businesses.  Start-ups and those companies wanting to expand their R&D capacity should come and talk to WelTec Connect’s staff about how we can assist them to enhance their productivity or bring a product to market."

Other highlights from the year include

• Randall McDonnell from GNS Science won the Science category of the latest Grow Wellington Bright Ideas competition. Randall has been working with Steve Robinson and WelTec's Centre for Smart Product to develop a new piece of equipment which uses ultra-high pressure/low volume water technology.
• Working with a large and growing number of organisations on R&D activities via WelTec Connect Ltd and its Centre for Smart Product.

One example is a project to develop a system, which when installed under a shower cubicle, transfers heat from the shower's waste hot water back into the hot water cylinder. Joseph van Liempt, Principal of Heatback, commented: "While aware of the complexity of the HeatBack product design, I am pleased that the resulting design modifications and demonstration parts have seen many a challenge overcome. WelTec Connect as an R&D partner, has complemented the precise skills and equipment this Heatback project was previously lacking and working with the team was a most pleasant and fruitful experience".



• The announcement by NEC Ltd of a 3 year applied research fellowship at WelTec Connect's Business Breakfast on 26 August was a highlight at a well-attended event.
• WelTec was well represented at, and provided a keynote contribution to, a Hutt Chamber of Commerce sponsored forum on Technology Valley. Paul Mather, Director of Research & Development and Technology Transfer made a keynote speech to the forum.
• WelTec relocated part of its Centre for Smart Product to IRL's Lower Hutt site, in a move set to benefit New Zealand's high value manufacturing sector and the development of the high tech skills underpinning it.

 
Fronde Welcomes Influx of WelTec Cadetships

2011 marks the largest intake of Wellington Institute of Technology (WelTec) Bachelor of Information Technology students into Fronde's Cadet Scheme.

The Cadet Scheme offers an annual scholarship worth $2,500 to help WelTec students pay for course fees, the opportunity for extended work experience where students can apply learning to real client work during a paid six week summer job, as well as opportunities to try different aspects of IT before settling on a full-time career.

"It is a win-win relationship between the cadets, WelTec and Fronde, one that is successful and valued. Our point of difference at WelTec is that students undertake work experience as part of their studies. This means they gain applied skills and enter the paid workforce ready to make a contribution, "says Dr Linda Sissons, Chief Executive of WelTec.

"The cadet program is of great benefit to Fronde and the wider ICT sector. Research has indicated that students who participate in such programs experience higher achievement academically and professionally than those that don't," says Jonathan Fry, Cadet Programme Manager at Fronde.

The eight first year students will take on roles on the Fronde help desk, and two second year cadets will return to WelTec.

More than 300 students are currently studying WelTec's Bachelor of Information Technology. The degree has multiple majors built around industry certification so graduates can work in the IT industry anywhere in the world. Students receive a simulation of best industry practice focused on gaining knowledge, independence and practice based on international industry certifications, e.g. CISCO, Microsoft, Linux. WelTec's on-site computer labs replicate the work environment so graduates have an easy transition from their tertiary studies to the workplace.

As well as cadetships, WelTec's liaison with industry also includes industry-based projects and practical placement within industry. 95% of WelTec students undertake some form of work placement/work experience as part of their studies. This is invaluable for our students as theory is backed up by practical skills learnt on the job in a work environment.

Cadetships and Industry Links
Further to the article in our May edition Clement Sudhakar, WelTec's Industry Partnership Coordinator has continued his success in developing links with industry and cadetship opportunities for WelTec students. Currently Clement is focusing on placing students in carpentry cadetships for 2012.

Clement and the WelTec team have also successfully developed:

• Industry Student Expo:
  An industry student expo between the School of Hospitality and three major hotels increased awareness about internship and career opportunities.
• Job Placements:
  Information Technology students have been successfully placed in jobs with Fronde
  and the NZ Police
• Project internships:
  Internships have been successfully implemented with Omex Integrated Solutions, Yonix and Grow Wellington's Summer of Tech.
• Work Placement:
  WelTec successfully established contacts with four organisations willing to provide work placements for students in our Graduate Diploma in Event Management. Discussions are currently ongoing with Avenues.co.nz and the Indian High Commission for work placements specifically suitable for students from India.

  
Chinese MOU - Guilin College of Aerospace Technology

 
On 18 November 2011, WelTec hosted a delegation from Guilin College of Aerospace Technology. The delegation was led
by the Vice-president with five members from the College. This was the third visit between WelTec and Guilin, following two WelTec visits to Guilin. The WelTec Chief Executive, Linda Sissons, and Head of School of Hospitality, Cherie Freeman, visited Guilin in July and November this year, both accompanied by the International Marketing Manager, Jason Matangi.

Guilin College of Aerospace Technology is located in Guilin city, which is well known for its beautiful scenery and is one the most popular tourist cities in China. To meet the huge demand for tourism and hospitality employees, Guilin developed the tourism program and has been seeking opportunities to work with international partners in the tourism and hospitality area.    

Linda Sissons met with the Guilin Vice-president, Mr Guoxiang Luo to sign a Memorandum Of Understanding. The MOU confirms that both schools will work on projects like joint research, staff and student exchanges and to develop an articulation program in hospitality.

Subject to the Chinese government approval, the articulation program will start student recruitment from September 2012. The first student intake at WelTec will be July 2014.

 
WelTec and Whitireia Councils Combine

Following consultation on a Strategic Partnership with Whitireia Community Polytechnic which many of you participated in, the Minister for Tertiary Education has approved the establishment of a Combined Council for Whitireia and WelTec effective 1 January 2012.

The Strategic Partnership has the following key elements:

• single strategy for the delivery of Vocational Tertiary Education in the Wellington region
• single combined Council
• single combined Academic Board
• common academic rules and processes
• extended access to programmes of learning and facilities for students
• single points of access to course information and advice for students
• an integrated approach to working with schools and employers
• joint Centres of Vocational Excellence
• highly collaborative relationships at all levels within each organisation; and
• a Shared Services Centre providing infrastructure and corporate support for both Institutions

The Strategic Partnership is an innovative departure from the traditional model of tertiary education provision and maximises the opportunity created by the recent changes in the Education Act to have a Combined Council and single combined Academic Board. It leaves the two Institutions in place and centrally positions the students as the 'customers' and the programmes of delivery as the focus of all activity. It establishes a collaborative partnership between Whitireia and WelTec and potentially other secondary and tertiary education providers, both public and private, to create a Wellington regional network of vocational tertiary education provision.

The purpose of the network is: provide excellent, relevant and accessible courses to students and communities throughout the wider Wellington region. The Strategic Partnership achieves this through retaining the cultures, identities and practices of each of the existing Institutions that are working well and requiring them to share resources, knowledge, expertise and best practice.

The curriculum benefits of a large scale Institution are achieved through aligning the curriculum and managing it as one through a single combined Academic Board. WelTec Advisory Committees will continue to be formal subcommittees within the academic structure providing valuable input into the development of the curriculum.
 

 
WelTec in a Nutshell 2011

In 2011 we had 10,173 students generating 4,617 EFTS

Student demographics
In 2011, 58% of all our students were under 25 and 23% were over 35.

Priority groups
In 2011, 16% of our students were Maori (1600 students). The proportion of our student population that was of Pacific Island origin grew yet again in 2011 to represent 9.3% of student numbers.

Programme provision
The proportion of students studying at Levels 1 and 2 increased significantly with the introduction of the Trades Academy and increased Youth Guarantee numbers. There was a compensating drop at levels 3 & 4 while the high end (5-7) stayed constant. 13% of EFTS were studying Level 1 and 2 programmes, 46% were enrolled in programmes at Levels 3 and 4, and 40% at Levels 5, 6 and 7.

 
Collideoscope - Graduate Exhibition

WelTec's Creative Technologies graduate exhibition COLLIDEOSCOPE, opened at The New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts on 28 October. Over 300 people attended the opening with almost 900 visiting the exhibition. Many works sold to collectors with two students receiving job offers.

The exhibition presented a diverse range of creative skills including Interior Design, Visual Arts, Photography, Print Publication, Film and Digital Animation. The students chose to call the exhibition COLLIDEOSCOPE - a name that captures the nature of their work, a collision of diverse scopes that come together as a unified front.

Finest Maori Contemporary Art

Maori art, dance, song, fashion and food were showcased at the MAORI ART MARKet. Works by nearly 250 artists were on show at Te Rauparaha Arena and Pataka. Among them was WelTec’s very own Barry Te Whatu. As well as a Tutor in the School of Creative Technology, Barry is also a Mentor with Tamaiti Whangai, the Te Atiawa-led intitiative that gets alongside young Maori to help them succeed in tertiary education.

Barry creates intriguing spinning tops and taurapa (waka stern posts) many of which are tailor-made one-off commissions – often having something to say. His work reflects issues of the day, and incorporates facets of who, or what occasion, the work has been created for. With a particular passion for carving in stone, Barry has participated in more than 30 symposiums and exhibitions in Aotearoa, the United States, Japan and Austria. Elements of other cultures and the need to adapt to different tools and working environments in foreign countries, have also informed his work.

 
New Zealand Netriders Competition

Bachelor of Information Technology students Zeb Rawnsley and Aaron de Silva won the 2011 National Netriders Networking competition. The victory meant the team went on to represent New Zealand in the Asia Pacific Netriders competition on October 27th against rivals Australia.

The WelTec team were pitted against some fierce competition comprising of teams from various institutions all over New Zealand but Zeb and Aaron's confidence and superior networking skills ensured them a win and a place representing New Zealand.

Their preparation for the competition was aided by the guidance of WelTec networking tutor Ian Armstrong. Speaking about the WelTec student's entry in the competition Ian Armstrong said "Zeb and Aaron are extremely hard working students and talented young men. I am always very pleased whenever students show an interest in Networking, beyond what they learn in class"

The success of the students highlights how well WelTec is preparing our students to meet the needs of industry.

 
 
Update on the New WelTec School of Hospitality

The WelTec School of Hospitality new build in Wellington is progressing well.  The School is co-locating with Le Cordon Bleu New Zealand to a large building in central Wellington sited at the corner of Cuba Street and Manners Mall.  The entrance will be on Lower Cuba Street (see images).   The Wellington School is due to open around September 2012. 

Connection is WelTec's Newsletter to key stakeholders.