BoP Polytechnic wins tender for Immigration Training

Bay of Plenty Polytechnic wins national tender for Immigration Training

Friday, 15 April 2011

The Department of Labour announced last week that Bay of Plenty Polytechnic had won the tender for delivering a new tertiary qualification for immigration training.

Currently immigration advisers are not required to hold formal qualifications to become licensed, but they must have experience. In recognition of the need for a more accessible pathway to licensing, the Immigration Advisers Authority have proposed the development and delivery of a new Graduate Certificate.

The Graduate Certificate, comprising of four 15 credit courses, will cover and assess the immigration adviser competency standards and the licensed immigration advisers code of conduct. Taught fully online, students may choose to attend face-to-face tutorials in major centres such as Auckland or in other cities where demand dictates.

It is expected the Graduate Certificate will attract interest from existing advisers seeking to upgrade their qualifications as well as providing a pathway for new entrants to the New Zealand immigration adviser profession, both in New Zealand and internationally.

"Bay of Plenty Polytechnic came through a competitive tender process, against several other high quality tenders. They demonstrated that they would use a very thorough process to develop the qualification, and have gathered together an excellent team of immigration and education experts to work on this project," said Barry Smedts, Registrar of Immigration Advisers.

The Polytechnic will develop and deliver a Graduate Level qualification with support from the University of Waikato and the University of Victoria (Melbourne). Dr. Alan Hampton, Bay of Plenty Polytechnic's Chief Executive, said the Polytechnic was delighted to have been chosen by the Immigration Advisers Authority to develop and deliver the new Graduate Certificate.

"The project will build on the institution's recent successful developments of on-line programmes for the Real Estate industry and New Zealand's first Diploma in Conveyancing," said Dr. Hampton. "We also acknowledge the importance of institutional partnerships, working with the University (Victoria) of Melbourne and the University of Waikato to complete the development and in the delivery of the programme."

The new qualification will be offered from February 2012.

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