New Zealand Career College (NZCC) will mark its tenth anniversary next year.
Starting from small beginnings, it now pathways 1000 domestic and international students into employment and further education every year.
In August 2013, NZCC attended Education New Zealand Fairs in Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Chandigarh, exhibiting an exciting new range of specialist Level Seven courses to the hundreds of local students.
According to NZCC International Manager Harjinder Sadra, “The fairs were a fantastic success, enabling us to showcase career offerings of real value to attendees.”
Graduates from the Indian Subcontinent are becoming smart shoppers when it comes to education; and rightly so.
With the vast and ever growing array of courses and providers in the market, discernment is essential when choosing where and what to study.
Important questions
There are a number of questions that should be considered when attempting to make this choice.
Is the course designed with jobs in mind? For example, the offer of an internship is always a great sign that the provider has invested the time and resource into developing commercial stakeholder relationships. These stakeholders have offered intrinsic support through their willingness to host placements, and by virtue of this, are open to the provision of future employment.
Is the course theoretical or vocational? Whilst a Master’s degree offers a prestige factor, it will not usually prepare the graduate to ‘hit the ground running’ on the first day of employment. It makes sense therefore to filter out those offerings that do not have vocational training as part of the curriculum.
Just recognition
Is the qualification recognised by industry? To answer this question, try and establish the extent to which the marketplace has given its endorsement. Just going by the name or the title of the course does not necessarily mean that it has the backing of businesses. Furthermore, just because the provider is a highly reputable university or institute, there is no guarantee that the course attracts the same prestige amongst employers.
Does the provider care about the welfare of the individual? Large, impersonal, lecture theatres where the tutor does not know student names or their individual situations is not the best environment for studying in another country. Looking for a training establishment that offers small class sizes and the opportunity to personally engage on a daily basis with the tutors often results in a vastly different education outcome than if those factors were absent.
Portable qualifications
Is the qualification portable? That is, where else is it taught and accepted in other parts of the World? Those institutes that have aligned themselves with Professional Bodies and/or entered into collaborative ventures across borders provide the graduate with high value education outcomes.
NZCC ticks all these boxes. Its L7 Diploma in Procurement and Supply is recognised in over 50 countries through its exclusive tie up with the global body Chartered Institute of Purchase & Supply (CIPS).
Career opportunities are great because Procurement Specialists are in short supply in New Zealand.
NZCC’s L7 Diploma in Applied Management (either Professional Retailing or Project Management Streams) have been developed with, and endorsed by, some of the largest New Zealand companies. Both Streams provide internships.
This qualification comes with additional award of a Graduate Diploma in Management, arising from an exclusive partnership with Chifley Business School (Australia), and includes a short additional pathway to a Chifley MBA.
Pastoral Care
NZCC also cares about its students through its approach to Pastoral Care, namely, small class sizes, one-to-one sessions with tutors, accommodation and job search assistance, regular class outings, and small but important things like airport pick-ups and local orientation.
Dr Paul Pickering is Marketing & Development Director of New Zealand Career College (NZCC) based in Auckland. NZCC is a Sponsor of the Indian Newslink Indian Business Awards 2013.
