UCOL Te Pūkenga kaimahi | staff had the opportunity to hear directly from Te Pūkenga New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology Acting Chief Executive, Peter Winder, when he visited the campus on Tuesday, 30 August. UCOL Te Pūkenga is evolving into Te Pūkenga, transitioning formally on 1 November 2022.
Mr Winder spent the morning at UCOL Te Pūkenga Whanganui talking about the proposed new organisational direction and design, which is open for staff feedback until 2 September. The consultation document covers how Te Pūkenga will organise itself and manage the challenges faced while building a single organisation from all the polytechnics and most Industry Training Organisations in New Zealand.
Four regions are proposed, with UCOL Te Pūkenga included in Te Tai Hau-ā-uru | West – which includes Taranaki, Manawatū, Whanganui, Wellington, Marlborough, and Nelson/Tasman.
Mr Winder said the consultation document is an opportunity for kaimahi feedback, and is not a formal process around individual proposed roles or changes.
“There is no change to the day-to-day teaching and learning activities of kaimahi and ākonga | learners. All relationships with kaiako | tutors, learning support services and programmes will continue.”
UCOL Te Pūkenga Chief Executive Dr Linda Sissons said, “Our relationships with employers, industry, and communities, are an integral part of delivering vocational education that meets the needs of learners in our wider region and we value the work we do together to support learners. These relationships, and the mahi we achieve together, will continue. Supporting successful outcomes for learners remains our priority. That won’t change.”
“This is an important milestone as Te Pūkenga brings together all Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics and Industry Training Organisations into one organisation, and, over time, will develop the capability to support work-based, campus-based, and online learning as a unified system. The intention is to provide a comprehensive network of opportunities for our ākonga | learners, as well as increased collaboration opportunities between our programmes.”
Te Pūkenga is part of the government’s reforms of vocational education, and was formed as the New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology by the Education and Training Act 2020.
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