One of the Western Bay's major training institutes has seen a 35 per cent increase in enrolments and other centres are also reporting a rise.
The increase in demand has been attributed to people wanting to upskill or change industries in a tightening job market, the Bay of Plenty Times has been told.
This month Auckland University reported a 24 per cent rise in the number of people taking up post-graduate studies and a 12 per cent rise across all courses.
Enrolments at the University of Waikato's Tauranga campus on Durham St are up by 35 per cent on the same period last year.
Campus director Alan Neilson, said the rise was due to several factors including increased awareness of the university, more programmes on offer, and the economy forcing students to study locally rather than pay relocation costs.
Growth was "across the spectrum" including courses in education - mainly primary school teachers, management, law, arts and social sciences, he said.
So far 451 people had applied to enrol in courses at the tertiary institute but final figures would not be available until March.
Gail McKenzie, general manager of Job Finders Tauranga, which is funded by the Tertiary Education Commission, said a "huge amount" of inquiries had been fielded from people wanting to upskill since the centre opened earlier this month.
"I can't believe the number of people we've had coming through the doors," she said.
This time last year Job Finders, which places people in the on-the-job training - mostly in the trade industries like building and mechanical work, had just "a handful" of people looking for work.
Now it is fielding about 20-30 inquiries a day.
About 50 per cent of those were people looking to upskill, Ms McKenzie said.
"They're having to be more proactive."
Unemployment in Bay of Plenty rose 37 per cent last year - eclipsing the national increase of 34 per cent.
The latest figures for the December quarter show more than 2500 Bay workers are without job - higher than national increase on the year before.
Nationally, more than 30,000 people are seeking jobs. Graeme Carruthers, Bay of Plenty regional commissioner for social development, said the affected sectors so far were retail, hospitality, forestry, construction and farming.
In the December quarter, Tauranga had an additional 269 people seeking work compared to the three months prior.
A total of 2579 people are now unemployed in Bay of Plenty.
Matt Melvin, general manager of Avonmore Tertiary Academy's Tauranga branch on Selwyn St, said enrolments had increased dramatically.
Last year about 120 part and fulltime students went through the institute. Mr Melvin predicted this number will be upward of 150 this year.
The centre offers courses in IT and freight and warehousing - which includes health and safety, forklift driving and stock management.
"It used to be a lot easier to work in some industries without a qualification. People are looking to retrain because they're being forced to [to find work]."
The average age of those inquiring was increasing, he said, and many were people who had lost their jobs or were finding it difficult to find work.
Te Wananga o Aotearoa Waiariki (Bay of Plenty) operations manager Jenny Robinson said there was a definite increase in enrolments at the Tauranga campus on Spring St compared to last year.
"Our courses are filling fast," she said.
"Definitely faster than normal."
Ms Robinson said the economic climate in New Zealand and higher unemployment figures were factors.
"I'd say the recession has something do with it in terms of people wanting to upskill."
Ms Robinson said business studies and computer courses were the most popular.
Meanwhile, deputy vice-chancellor of Auckland University, Raewyn Dalziel, compared enrolment numbers to unemployment rates over the past decade and concluded there was a clear correlation between rising unemployment and higher numbers of university students.
It was most evident this year, she said.
Enhancing qualifications was "something that people do in a recession," Prof Dalziel said.
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