The success of the partnership between Awanui and Ara Te Pūkenga in providing 129 of our pre-analytical trainees with a pathway to a Diploma in Applied Science has been recognised at the 2023 Aotearoa Tertiary Education Awards – Te Whatu Kairangi.
The Awanui and Ara Institute of Canterbury | Te Pūkenga team was named the category winner of the Te Whatu Kairangi Group Award for Progressing Education Partnerships and Collaboration at the ceremony held at Parliament on 26 September.
The awards celebrate people and teams who make a difference by supporting students to gain qualifications, build their educational knowledge and capabilities, and are working to ensure their success.
“We are very proud to win this award which recognises the hard work and commitment of the collaboration group and both our organisations to bring industry and education together,” says Learning and Capability Manager and Awanui representative Heather Compton.
“To have the Diploma be recognised by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority and meet the accreditation requirements for the Medical Sciences Council for registration as a pre-analytical medical laboratory technician, really shows what we have achieved.”
Creating the Diploma began in 2016 when the then Healthscope NZ Executive Team, including our current CE Anoop Singh, had the vision to create the He Tangata initiatives to deliver ‘employment-long’ learning and provide training opportunities for our people.
“This was followed by a three year planning and design phase with Ara Te Pūkenga as a trusted partner in planning and delivering a practical, innovative work-based course for our staff to gain their diploma, while they keep working and building their careers,” says Heather.
“Our partnership with Ara Te Pūkenga means students are working with highly experienced and knowledgeable tutors, getting both theoretical and practical training, and learning at their own pace.
“By offering distance learning, we have created a pathway which is open to our people from across the country to enrol on the course, and those who have completed the course have a broader range of new career opportunities.”
Heather says the Diploma is an important part of the Learning and Capability Programme at Awanui to offer training and career development opportunities for current staff and those joining the organisation, including creating more opportunities for our Māori and Pacifica team members.
“Our partnership with Ara Te Pūkenga has been a great success in supporting staff into tertiary education, recognised by this award, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration into the future.”