News 17/6 – HSI Awards, Hospitality Training & Massey’s Dubious Mktg

June 17th 2010 at 8:22am, By Dave Guerin

HSI Awards HSI’s annual awards were held on Monday night, NorthTec won Excellence in Training – Qualification Pathways for the third year running while one of their staff. Sue Bartlett, was named Workplace Assessor of the Year.
Hospitality Training There’s a great article here about the tradeoffs between different levels of hospitality training and the needs of the industry. It quotes people from HSI, MIT and Lincoln University. It’s well worth a read.
BOP Plan There’s a new education plan for the Western Bay of Plenty, developed by the University of Waikato and Bay of Plenty Polytechnic.
Snow Plans There’s an interesting ODT story about the possible effects of less snow on Australian tourism down south, based on an interview with a Lincoln student and academic.
Beijing Music University of Auckland musicians gave successful performances in Beijing and Nanjing last month.
A different world Read this ODT story about the closure of the Gardies pub and you will realise how different Dunedin is – where else would a pub closure cause so much excitement?
ITP Council Payday ITP Council fees are going up, according to the TEC. The fee rises are really quite significant.
Massey’s Dubious Marketing Massey University has some disgruntled students after their decision to cease offering face to face teacher education from EIT’s campus in Hawke’s Bay. The students are upset that Massey was conducting a review since last September but had not told students of the risks because “it was in negotiations with staff over their jobs”. That’s bollocks – there’s no reason why you can’t carry out a good faith negotiation with staff while still making the broad options public. It seems that the lack of advice to students was purely a commercial decision by Massey to hold up their 2010 enrolments and I wish the students well in seeking redress.
Teacher Education John O’Neill from Massey has some views on the future of teacher education.
Awards and Scholarships Two scholarships have been awarded by the Health Research Council, while a Massey academic received a lifetime achievement award for his work in occupational health at the NZ Workplace Health and Safety Awards.
Sad Letter There’s a sad letter in the Gisborne Herald about a Tairawhiti Polytechnic student who had things stolen and can’t study until they are replaced.
Bridge death Two more stories on the trial – here and here.
Student Back for Trial A Japanese woman who was attacked in NZ when a student returned recently for the trial of her attacker, who pleaded guilty and was sentenced to nine years in jail for a range of charges. The Ministry of Justice paid travel costs.
Unitec Festival Unitec has a performing arts festival on now.
Assessment Conference NZCER has a conference on Assessing Adult Learning comng up in August.

(7) Comments
Tags: Bay of Plenty Polytechnic, Education, Hospitality, HSI, Lincoln University, Massey University, Tairawhiti Polytechnic, TEI Councils, Unitec, University of Auckland, University of Waikato
Categories: Export Education|Industry Input|ITOs|Students|TEI Issues|Universities

7 Responses to News 17/6 – HSI Awards, Hospitality Training & Massey’s Dubious Mktg

Dean Carroll

June 17th, 2010 at 9:40 am

in one of the most interesting stories you have covered David on ED the letter in the Gisborne Herald raises important issues in tertiary education. Firstly, the role of technology in empowering students and secondly the role of the physical senses in the imparting of knowledge. My ever hopeful wish is that a future government finally focuses in tertiary education on both on the multiplier effect of technology on human ability and the actual real and existing activity of transmitting human understanding (knowledge is devil of a word) between two (and more) persons. Of course Investment Plans and Tertiary Education Strategies (2001-10) are much more useful and i should immediately cease and desist. This isn’t about education it is about resource allocation framework model paradigms.

Dean Carroll

June 17th, 2010 at 10:03 am

Of course a given is that most PBRF activity is the transmission of knowledge between one and fewer human beings.

Dean Carroll

June 17th, 2010 at 10:37 am

well thank you David, and i am not joking. Eye tests in first year of varsity (and concomitant and subsequent corrective procedures) would increase educational understanding by … well more than 10%. We spend $849.5m on the Student Loan Scheme (per annum) but how much on optical improvements (given most varsity delivery is lecture-bound) to the learners. Oh I could go on, and on and on but tend not to when discussing higher education issues.

Dave Guerin

June 17th, 2010 at 10:51 am

I agree that we can all get bound up in our routines on what should be funded and in what way. It’s often worthwhile to think about how things can be changed, but the inertia of current approaches can make it very hard to change, as you’re well aware.

Dean Carroll

June 17th, 2010 at 11:27 am

The thing that surprised me the most whilst working in the Ministry of Education and then the Tertiary Education Commission was how few people talked about education issues. At first I thought it was total indifference, later I realised how few had actually worked in the field they were administering. It would be like, oh I don’t know the Ministry of Health with no medical expertise. Having just said that I am always reminded of the famous Enoch Powell quote when he became Minister of Health in 1970. Until students (the consumers) are put in charge properly there will be no change because the powers-that-be don’t want change.