Sponsor’s Announcement
Aotearoa New Zealand. Consistently ranked one of the best places on earth to live. Safe and affordable. Clean and green. And offering world-class education at a fraction of the cost of some countries.
It is no wonder that export education has become such a booming business Down Under, with more and more international students enrolling in everything from university degrees to vocational training programmes.
Complete pathways
ACG is New Zealand’s largest and leading private educational provider, delivering complete education pathways from kindergarten through to university, or a skills-focused career. Its programmes are proving to be increasingly popular amongst international students looking for top-quality training – this year they’ve welcomed students from 50 different countries to schools across six New Zealand cities.
According to Kim Harase, Director of Marketing, International, the forecast for 2016 is looking even brighter.
“ACG will enroll approximately 2500 new international students next year. The largest group of our international students are from China, Korea and India, while the remainder come from a wide range of countries including Japan, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, Hungary, Vietnam, Cambodia, Colombia and Malaysia to name a few,” she said.
Largest provider
In 2014, ACG launched its Tertiary & Careers Group, with the acquisition of three of New Zealand’s top Category 1 providers – ACG Yoobee School of Design, NZMA and NZCC (New Zealand Career College).
The Group is now the largest Government-funded PTE (Private Tertiary Establishment) in the country, delivering innovative and industry relevant programmes in digital design, hospitality management, cookery, business, early childhood, health, construction, retail, contact centre, and most recently travel and tourism.
“ACG has continued to grow consistently over the last few years, with a strategy focused on highly-respected programmes with strong employment pathways, excellent services to our student community plus extensive support systems,” Ms Harase said.
Progressive factors
ACG’s growth in international enrolments has been equally progressive, thanks to a range of factors all underpinned by the same key attribute. Quality.
“Success in the PTE sector can be driven by short-term strategies based around price, but at ACG we are looking at the long-term success of our students and we have focussed on all aspects of our business; our service and support to our students and their families, pastoral care, the quality of our teaching and the uniqueness and relevancy of our programmes. We also offer our students strong employment support and pathways, and state-of-the-art educational facilities. The benefits of studying here for international students are enormous.”
High employment
By the end of this year, ACG would have placed over 2000 students into employment through its outstanding, industry-recognised careers support teams.
Many graduates are now enjoying fulfilling careers both here and overseas, whilst others have taken advantage of ACG’s exciting academic and vocational pathways to degree programmes in a range of fields.
Top in Hospitality
NZMA, which celebrates 30 years of operation this year, is undisputedly New Zealand’s top hospitality school, having taken out the title of Training Establishment of the Year 2015 at the recent ‘NZChefs National Salon.’
The win reflects both the quality of training it delivers and the caliber of its students and graduates. The hospitality and cookery programmes NZMA offers have proven to be particularly popular with international students.
Earlier this year, a massive expansion was carried out at NZMA’s Sylvia Park Campus, installing two new training kitchens, six additional classrooms, a large cyber suite and an additional floor of staff offices. Although the Campus opened less than two years ago, demand has grown rapidly.
Quality training
Divisional General Manager for the ACG Tertiary & Careers Group, Mark Worsop, said the rapid expansion highlights that a focus on quality training and resources leads to positive and sustainable growth.
“This is a reflection of increasing demand for NZMA’s programmes. Our international enrolments in particular have grown significantly over the past year and expansion allows us to cater for this demand whilst also helping to address national skill shortages and growth within the hospitality industry,” he said.
Meanwhile, the popularity of business, design, multimedia, and travel and tourism programmes are also on the rise amongst international students.
These areas of study are equally well catered for by ACG’s Tertiary & Careers Group – yet another reason why ACG has become the provider of choice for an increasing number of international students.
ACG Careers & Tertiary Group is the Sponsor of the ‘Business Excellence in International Trade with India’ category of the Indian Newslink Indian Business Awards 2015.
Photo :Kim Harase
