The Tertiary Education Strategy 2007-2012 seeks to give different tertiary education organisations a clear and distinctive role in contributing to the tertiary education needs of New Zealanders. As a part of this process, all Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs) have been charged with the responsibility for acting as a regional facilitator, and producing a Regional Statement outlining the region’s tertiary training needs, gaps and priorities. Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology is administering this process for the Top of the South.

The Tertiary Education Commission’s (TEC’s) objectives for the Regional Facilitation process are to:

• Develop a shared understanding of regional tertiary education needs, gaps and priorities
• Develop system capability at a regional level through collaborative relationships
• Achieve better outcomes for learners and other stakeholders
• Achieve efficiency benefits for Tertiary Education Organisations and stakeholders.

Our Regional Statement was developed building on existing networks and information. The process used was as follows:

• An initial workshop was held to commence the consultation process. All regional tertiary training providers, ITOS, secondary schools, and other identified key stakeholders were invited.
• A Steering Group was set up (from a cross-section of providers) to guide the process.
• Department of Labour, Nelson Regional Economic Development Agency, and Marlborough Regional Development Trust were engaged to establish demographic, labour market and demand data availability, reliability and relevance.
• Public forums were held in Marlborough, Nelson and Motueka for sectors of the community to comment on training needs, gaps and priorities. Advertisements in regional newspapers, media releases and mail outs were utilised to inform attendees of these forums. In addition, community members were invited to comment by email if they were not able to attend.
• Briefing meetings were held with TEC and ITF to inform the process.
• The draft document was circulated to all identified key stakeholders for comment.

The completed Regional Statement has now been submitted to the TEC for review and feedback. You can view the document by clicking here (2MB, 79 pages). For further information on the regional facilitation process click here.