A new, purpose-built campus of one of the largest Private Training Establishments (PTEs) of the country is keen to increase the number of its international students, especially from India.
The NZMA Sylvia Park Campus (located at 56 Carbine Road), which became functional on February 17, concentrates on Cookery and Hospitality courses, with a minor offering of Business Management courses.
Its Deputy Campus Principals Jasbir Kaur and Nishat Elavia are both from India and hence the facility is likely to attract more international students.
NZMA has two other Campuses, one each in South Auckland (Otahuhu) and Waikato (Hamilton).
Foreign students
NZMA International & Business Development Director Mark Worsop said that the three campuses currently account for 2400 students, of which 400 are foreign students.
He said that the target is to increase the number of international students to 500 this year.
“This is a significant contribution from a PTE to the export education sector, especially since a majority of international students are multi-year enrolments. In addition to the jobs created at NZMA, which includes teaching staff, administrators, managers, and sales and student support personnel, they also spend significantly for accommodation, food, clothing, entertainment, communication and other items,” he said.
Unique environment
The Sylvia Park Campus has a unique environment, with state-of-the-art teaching and learning facilities. Attached to the Cookery School is a student-operated cafeteria with a seating capacity of 150 persons.
“The cafeteria is supported by a commercial kitchen run by our second year cookery students. As well as offering real-life environment to give our students an opportunity to experience the pressures and expectations of real customers and improve their work readiness, it provides them inexpensive food and beverages of high quality,” Mr Worsop said.
Established in 1985, NZMA offers courses in Hospitality, Cookery, Business, Contact Centre, Retail, Construction and Youth Training from Level 2 to Level 7 on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework.
Cookery courses
According to Mr Worsop, NZMA commenced cookery courses only last year in response to the industry demand for high quality graduates with strong cooking skills, good English and a clear understanding of the working environment and employer expectations.
“Cookery is very popular and we are oversubscribed with enrolments, but NZMA’s growth has been more significant in our hospitality management programme. We have a unique programme that provides pathways to degree programmes all over the world,” he said.
Job creation
NZMA Careers, its employment arm, extends relevant services to students and industry partners.
Mr Worsop said that all programmes aim to maximise employment opportunities. NZMA constantly engages with employers and develops programmes to ensure that the courses are practical and relevant, he said.
“Our level 6 Diploma in Applied Hospitality Management and Level 5 Diploma in Professional Cookery have 600 hours of internships included as a part of the programme of study allows students to utilise and practice the skills they have learnt and increase their work readiness,” he said.
He said that institution placed 1000 students into employment last year.
Graduate outcomes are consistently above 80% (including students progressing to higher education or gain employment), he added.
“NZMA has many significant employer relationships that include many hotels, restaurants, bars, and catering and event companies.”
We profile Jasbir Kaur and Nishat Elavia under ‘People in Business’ under Businesslink.
