Record levels in tertiary enrolments

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Record numbers of students took up tertiary learning in Gisborne last year, new figures show.

For the academic year 2018, Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) recorded 10,330 students in total, 1000 more compared to 2017.

Of these students 58 percent were female and 42 percent were male.

The increases were spread across EIT’s Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay campus.

Chief executive Chris Collins is pleased to see EIT academic programmes attracting strong demand from students and industry. EIT is the largest it has ever been.

He put the continued growth, when many others have experienced a down turn in student numbers, to several factors.

“First the continued growth in international students choosing EIT as their institution of choice.

“Second the flexible opportunities to study either online, in work, or via a blended mix of face-to-face/in work/online, and either as part-time or full-time students. A third factor is the extensive off-campus delivery outreach EIT does into communities, such as on farms and marae.?

“A key final factor has been the strong partnerships and support of industry.”

Official figures show that EIT had 4820 equivalent fulltime students (EFTS) which is over 300 more than 2017.

EIT programmes have been increasingly tailored to meet student’s needs. Last year 41 percent of all students were under 25 years of age.

Collins also pointed out achievement for Maori students also hit new record levels.

“Last year half of our domestic students were Maori, and up in Tairawhiti it is up over 70 percent, one of the highest levels of Maori participation in the NZ tertiary sector”. ?

While still early in the year, the forecast for 2019 looked strong with the latest enrolment numbers tracking ahead of last year.

“So EIT is looking forward to another very busy and active year as student number continue to grow.”