Chance for key industries to identify tertiary needs

GROWING SKILL: Margaret Noble.

Stakeholders develop plan for future training

The release this week of the Bay of Plenty Tertiary Action Plan gives stakeholders an opportunity to provide feedback to ensure the workforce has the right education to meet the region's growing skill needs, says Greg Simmonds, who is project manager for the plan.

"It's about how best the region's agencies, industry groups, iwi and the wider community can advocate and articulate their needs and work in partnership with the tertiary sector to ultimately improve people's well-being," said Mr Simmonds.

The first phase of the plan has consisted of primary research and interviews with more than 150 key stakeholders, as well as a substantial literature review. The next phase involves gaining input from the wider community, and the tertiary education sector, on the draft's proposed action points.

Professor Margaret Noble, chief executive of Waiariki Institute of Technology, said the Bay of Plenty region was an area where there was a lower level in tertiary education and the plan was taking a look across the geographic and sectoral areas at what the tertiary priorities should be.

"A lot of the work is very much looking at access to tertiary education and realising the importance that tertiary education plays in supporting a strong, healthy and growing economy," said Professor Noble.

"The report has identified some of the priority sectors where there's been found to be growing demand. It's important to us as tertiary institutions to look at how we respond to that."

The plan noted that Rotorua district had identified forestry and wood processing, tourism, geothermal, agriculture and international education as priority growth sectors. The draft Tertiary Action Plan report also notes that many of the Bay's key industry sectors don't have significant demand for degree and post-graduate qualified people, or research and development that is sufficient to sustain credible tertiary programmes in their own right.

The recommended action points for Rotorua are that the council and Grow Rotorua support establishing a proposed tertiary implementation and monitoring group, and advocate for:

The specific education and research needs of Rotorua's priority sectors.

The education and research links with the proposed Scion wood innovation centre.

Waiariki's centre for excellence in forestry and wood manufacturing.

The SkillMe Maori and Pasifika trades training initiative.

The case for a regional centre of expertise around restoration of freshwater quality.

The district's goals for the export education sector.

Rotorua currently already holds a strong position in international education, New Zealand's fifth-largest export sector. Waiariki is the region's largest provider, with about 915 international students in 2013.

"I think there's real potential to grow the Bay as an international education market," Professor Noble said.

The plan also recommends that the Tertiary Education Partnership - which includes Waiariki, Bay of Plenty Polytechnic, Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi and the University of Waikato - considers undertaking a review of the current tourism sector provision.

And the draft notes the activity and impact of the three Crown research institutes in the region, Rotorua's Scion, which held research contracts valued at more than $45 million in 2013, Plant and Food Research in Te Puke, and GNS Science in Taupo.

"Having the various sector groups involved during the development of the plan means the future needs for training and education for the region are identified by industry," said Cheryl MacGregor, the Bay of Connections portfolio manager. "Industry provides credible insights into the current gaps and what's needed in the future."