Hon Steven Joyce

Minister of Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment

16 July 2015

ICT Graduate Schools announced in Auckland and Christchurch

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has today announced the successful hosts of the first two new Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Graduate Schools to be established in Auckland and Christchurch.

“The new ICT Graduate Schools will be a vital link between our fast-moving hi-tech industries and tertiary education to deliver more of the skilled ICT graduates that New Zealand needs,” says Mr Joyce. “They will provide a unique opportunity for businesses to connect with students and education providers, and help shape ICT talent and R&D.

“The Auckland school will be hosted by the Universities of Auckland and Waikato with satellite locations in Hamilton and Tauranga. It will be focused on developing industry focused post-graduate ICT students with the communication, critical thinking, business, and enterprise skills that employers need.

“The southern school will be hosted by the South Island Tertiary Alliance, which consists of the University of Canterbury, Christchurch Polytechnic and Institute of Technology, Lincoln University, Otago Polytechnic and the University of Otago. It will have a Christchurch campus located in the Christchurch Innovation Precinct and a satellite site in Dunedin,” says Mr Joyce.

The South Island school will focus on key ICT areas relevant to the regional economies, including agri-tech, health technology, and communications products and services.

A third graduate school will also be opened in Wellington with an announcement about the provider to be made later this year.

The Government has committed $28.6 million for the development and delivery of the three schools over four years. Once fully established, the schools are expected to train in excess of 350 students annually.

“The global ICT industry is expected to grow by US$1.3 trillion between 2013 and 2020. For New Zealand businesses to make the most of this opportunity, they need hi-tech professionals working in their businesses,” says Mr Joyce.

The ICT Graduate Schools are a key initiative under the Government’s Business Growth Agenda and will provide innovative, industry focused ICT education, research and development through collaboration between tertiary providers, industry and stakeholders.

“Through this collaborative approach we will see ICT graduates with work-relevant, business-focused skills as well as more direct pathways from education into employment,” says Mr Joyce.

The successful ICT Graduate Schools have been selected following a competitive procurement process.

More information about the graduate schools can be found HERE

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