ITPs responding quickly to new performance measure

ITPs responding quickly to new performance measures

Education performance measures issued by the Tertiary Education Commission today will help Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs) to keep lifting their performance, NZ ITP Chairman James Buwalda says.

“NZ ITP welcomes scrutiny of the tertiary education sector and any measures that will improve student information about their educational choices,” Dr Buwalda said today.

“The education performance measures give ITPs information they need to keep improving the programmes that are being offered, so that more students complete their training and move through into employment or further education.”

“NZ ITP’s member providers are committed to supporting students to help them achieve their qualifications and good employment outcomes. It is something we continue to strive to improve, and this will help us do that.”

Dr Buwalda said students and their families would be able to use the performance measures as they make decisions about where to study, but would need to use some of the data cautiously.

“It is useful to compare performance of institutions at the level of study you’re interested in, but the aggregate measures also published today provide no useful information,” Dr Buwalda says.

“Students at different levels face different barriers to completion and progression – a second-chance student in foundation education (levels 1-2) will face different challenges to a PhD student with years of study under their belt. For example, part time students do not complete qualifications or progress to higher levels at the same rates as those in full-time study. Many find it challenging to balance their study with work and other programmes.”

Dr Buwalda says the Government’s performance-linked funding – which will sanction and reward performance using the same measures but will differentiate between education levels – will ensure the onus is on ITPs, and all tertiary education providers, to improve against the measures.

ENDS