New org. welcome leadership to private tertiary ed

New organisation will bring welcome leadership to private tertiary education

The launch of Independent Tertiary Institutions (ITI) is a welcome boost to leadership and quality control in the private education sector, according to Education Forum policy advisor Norman LaRocque.

The new group was launched in Wellington last night. It is a merger of the Career Colleges' Association and the Association of Independent Degree-granting Institutions, and is made up of 16 quality private tertiary education providers together enrolling more than 7,000 students annually.

Commenting on the launch, Mr LaRocque said private providers had a growing and increasingly visible role to play in the tertiary education sector and good leadership was important.

"In today's environment, an organisation like ITI is hugely important to help provide the strong leadership and guidance that this relatively young and growing sector needs.

"It is very pleasing to see the private sector working pro-actively in this important area," Mr LaRocque said.

"Private tertiary education is a significant and valuable sector of the economy and provides many opportunities for New Zealanders to build their skills and contribute to New Zealand's future.

"It is also creating a whole raft of economic opportunities - from employment in the sector to the skilled graduates it produces. At the same time the rapid expansion of the sector is creating challenges that need to be addressed and ITI is well-placed to help with this."

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