Tai Poutini Polytechnic receives funding for China venture

19 June 2015

Tai Poutini Polytechnic receives funding boost for China venture

Tai Poutini Polytechnic (TPP) will receive a funding boost from Central Government to support ecotourism short courses across China.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce yesterday (18 June 2015) announced that TPP was one of 10 New Zealand tertiary education institutions to benefit from the latest round of the International Education Growth Fund. TPP will receive funding of $30,575 to support the development of ecotourism and activity tourism short courses for the professional development market in China.

Zane Smith, TPP’s Outdoor Education and Ecotourism Business Development Officer, says the funding is great news for the Polytechnic. “We have already established some solid partnerships in China and we started offshore programmes in Hong Kong last year. There are strong opportunities to develop programmes that will be delivered on the ground and also potentially bring students and visitors back here, to the West Coast.”

TPP is developing a suite of short “Study Tour” products which will teach fundamentals in ecotourism and activity tourism to Chinese tourism educators, tourism operators and future tourism professionals. The funding will be used to carry out research in the China market, develop a pilot programme and deliver the programme itself.

“The funding means that we can get moving on the delivery of these short courses sooner than previously expected. More broadly, receiving funding through the International Education Growth Fund is a great endorsement of the work we are doing across a wide range of international markets.”

The TPP Council adopted an International Strategy in 2012 which aims to increase international student numbers and address the Government’s priority for New Zealand tertiary institutions to develop international partnerships.

The International Education Growth Fund was established by Government in 2013 to help open new markets for New Zealand’s international education providers. Education providers and businesses can apply for matched funding up to $50,000 from the International Education Growth Fund, which is administered by Education New Zealand. In this latest round, 29 applications were received.

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