Listening to industry needs and understanding future employment trends is the basis for developing UCOL's qualifications. It's important to us that industry values both our qualifications as work relevant and the graduates they employ, so we continually take a fresh look at what we offer and how we offer it to ensure we are providing relevant and exciting study options.
Our staff and students connect with industry by industry association memberships, completing projects for local employers, attending and hosting industry events, and entering and winning industry awards.
Here are some examples of UCOL's industry connections which benefit staff and students:
- Our sponsorship of Evento, Feilding High School's iconic Wearable Art Show for secondary schools brings together design, creative, business, hairdressing, beauty and many more disciplines
- A partnership with the Jets Manawatu basketball team, provides a great platform for our Exercise and Sports Science staff and students to turn their practical skills into reality
- Our Furniture Design and Making Lecturers' connectedness to industry means each year UCOL students are able to travel to the Kawerau National Woodskills Festival to compete against the best in the industry
- We're active members of NZ Chefs regularly attending events with our industry peers, and judging regional and national Salons (competitions)
- In addition to sponsoring the Emerging Chef class of the bi-annual Manawatu Hospitality Awards, UCOL helps organise the event.
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Visual Paradigm grants UCOL Bachelor of Information & Communications Technology (Applied) students UML tools,
BPMN tools,
Agile Story Mapping tools and
DFD tools under the
Academic Training Partner Program