Number of students studying online through NorthTec more than doubles

The number of students choosing to learn online has increased from 306 in 2019 to 772 in 2020. Photo / Michael Cunningham

The number of NorthTec students opting to learn online more than doubled last year with Covid-19 and fees free study being credited for the growth.

In 2019, 306 students studied online through NorthTec but that number climbed to 771 last year - a 152 per cent increase.

Pamela Simpson, chief executive of eCampus NZ - which supports the online learning for NorthTec - said there was a dramatic increase in learners wanting to enrol with their regional institute and study online.

"There are a number of reasons for this, including the way the institutes who use eCampus NZ responded to the Covid-19 pandemic by offering extra incentives to study," Simpson said.

"NorthTec, for example, offered fees-free online learning with eCampus NZ to make studying more accessible to Northlanders impacted by the pandemic."

Jennifer Troup is one of the many students motivated by the fees-free aspect of study. It is why the Kerikeri woman enrolled in the New Zealand Diploma in Business last year.

"I wouldn't have done it otherwise, that's one of the things that keeps me going."

Troup, who is a self-employed skipper, believes she first saw the fees-free course advertised on Facebook and thought she'd give it a go.

"I can't be at sea forever so figured if I did something management-wise I could go into logistics or something later on."

The online learning came in handy when a three-week job became a nearly three-month job.

In late October last year, Troup left New Zealand's shores to work as part of a crew tasked with picking up a boat from Darwin, Australia and delivering it to New Plymouth.

She knew that she could keep up with her study during the three weeks she would be away as she could access her courses online whenever and wherever she had an internet connection.

But while in Australia, the crew encountered unexpected delays that significantly extended their trip, with the journey taking seven weeks longer than initially expected.

"We just got held up in Australia - not because of Covid - just because of other stuff. It (online learning) was good, otherwise I would've had to pull out."

Determined not to miss out on the opportunity to study, Troup found ways to keep up with her learning while she was away, even when she couldn't access the internet.

"I took screenshots of course content and downloaded the readings so I could study offline," she said.

NorthTec acting chief executive Jon Smith said the polytech introduced fees-free online study as they knew it would be beneficial.

"We knew that online learning would be beneficial for Northlanders looking to make a career transition after losing their jobs as a result of Covid-19. We also wanted to help people in our region prepare for a competitive re-entry into the workforce," he said.