Polytechnic and Cardinal Form Partnership
Crucial step in the development of Canterbury's hi-tech cluster
Christchurch Polytechnic and Cardinal today signed a unique agreement that will see the two organisations working in partnership on technology and education projects.
Three key elements make up the partnership: the joint development of JADE-based education management software to be marketed internationally by Cardinal, co-operation on the development of distance learning technologies and ground breaking initiatives in computing curricula.
"The JADE-based Jasper software we are developing with the Polytechnic will be ahead of anything else available on the education market. It is custom-built for education providers operating in the age of the Internet, and will deliver a significant advantage over our competitors, whose offerings are distinctly pre-Internet," says Gil Simpson, Chief Executive of Aoraki Corporation, Cardinal's parent company.
"We believe this partnership is the first of its type in New Zealand, where a private sector organisation and a tertiary education provider have formed such a deep partnership on both business and curriculum levels.
"Strong education-industry partnerships have been
crucial to the success of hi-tech clusters such as those in
California and Massachusetts, and this partnership will be a
major contributor to the ongoing development of Canterbury's
hi-tech sector.
"The other feature of successful
international clusters has been the willingness of
publicly-funded organisations to buy locally made technology
rather than go offshore. We are delighted that Christchurch
Polytechnic has shown the vision to choose JADE-developed
software. They will reap the benefits of choosing software
from a world-class local supplier."
Christchurch Polytechnic Chief Executive, John Scott, says "The importance of this relationship comes back to the customer; our students. This custom-built student records system software will ensure we attend to students' needs more efficiently, enabling us to better streamline the process, from enrolment through to graduation.
"Of great importance to us is to provide a relationship which will also engage our students in the practical side of software and technological development. The future developments of new qualifications relevant to the needs of student and the technological environment will benefit both JADE and the Polytechnic."
About Christchurch Polytechnic
Christchurch Polytechnic is one of New Zealand's largest
higher education institutions delivering technical and arts
training from certificate to degree level. The Polytechnic
currently has approximately 17,000 students enroled,
including about 900 off campus. Christchurch Polytechnic
prides itself as a national leader in technological
initiatives and in applied education.
About
Cardinal
Cardinal is one of Australasia’s leading
providers of information technology services. Through a
grouping of partnerships similar to that of a law or
accounting firm, Cardinal provides services such as
consulting, software development and systems management to
large corporates throughout Australia and New Zealand. It is
a division of Aoraki Corporation Limited, a privately owned
company headquartered in Christchurch, New Zealand. It
employs around 400 staff throughout the world and has
combined group revenues of more than NZ$60 million per
annum. Aoraki also has a software product division called
JADE.
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