Open Polytechnic of New Zealand

Open Polytechnic School of New Zealand is a one-of-a-kind open education provider which provides courses to students through the online module.

The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand Ltd is supplementary to Te PÅ«kenga which is New Zealand’s Institute of Skills and Technology and is the nation’s leading distance and online learning provider. The focus at Open Polytechnic is on learner success for around 30,000 learners each year.

Their learners hail from areas all throughout New Zealand. They are as varied as the population of the beautiful country. A common goal, which this educational provider shares with their students, is that they all strive to improve their knowledge and skills through online and distance learning.

• Open Polytechnic of New Zealand is known to be the best quality education provider for students who opt for online and distance learning. It caters to the population who find it hard to attend on-campus classes as they are engaged with work or other commitments. Open Polytechnic strives to provide them with an alternative mode of education so that they can balance work life as well as pursue higher education simultaneously.
• Open Polytechnic of New Zealand is currently in transition as they are undergoing educational transformation. The college has come up with a new vision since the year 2018 and which is, ‘convenient, relevant, connected and smart.’ The college aims to provide the best quality online education to its students through innovation and creativity.
• The students who enrol at Open Polytechnic of New Zealand are sure to receive their education through highly trained and qualified teachers who have appropriate qualified teaching experience and a deep understanding of the subject and courses they handle. Most of their staff members have also been in the field and are people who understand what it takes to pursue a successful career. The staff aims to equip their students to the best of their ability with the knowledge and skillset required through distance learning. Besides the qualified staff, the students get access to the latest technologies related to their field of study.
• Open Polytechnic of New Zealand has a unique student policy called  The Targeted Training and Apprenticeships Fund (TTAF). This fund is a government initiative that aims to support learners to enrol and undertake fees-free vocational education and training in a few selected programmes. This fund is targeted mainly at industry skill needs where the demand from employers for these skills is seen to prolong and so it will continue to be strong, to help aid New Zealand’s recovery period from the impacts of COVID-19.
• The students are connected with the staff and college through contemporary interactive sessions where peers, academic staff, facilitators, student mentors and assessment professionals, as well as international experts, are all connected to the learner in a learning community. There is a tiered system of support, that uses technology to track their learner's academic progress and keep them engaged and consistent through the course.

Careers and Opportunities

Open Polytechnic of New Zealand works closely with industry service providers to help gain access to more knowledge and opportunities for their students. The staff makes it their business to help the students secure gainful employment in the future by instilling in them the skills required that suit the trade they wish to venture into.

Success Rate

• Open Polytech of New Zealand has a world ranking which falls under the top 10,000 best colleges in the world according to reports by Ranking Web Universities. Their rank is 6114 to be precise.
• Nationally, Open Polytechnic of New Zealand ranks 14th in the whole country of New Zealand for quality educational provisions.
• The excellence ranking of the college goes up to 5,631 worldwide.

Notable Alumni

A few of the notable alumni having graduated from Open Polytechnic of New Zealand are:

1. Philippa Ballantine     
2. Dene McDonald
3. Nikki Hamblin

Student Services

Open Polytechnic of New Zealand is an online distance learning education provider. With this being said, students are bound to face academic as well as technical challenges along the course of their studies. The students are not left to fend for themselves. The college has assigned student mentors to help guide and assist students with their academic needs throughout the course of their studies.

The types of services provided by student advisors include:

• Choosing the right qualification to suit the student’s study and career goals.
• Deciding which course to start with.
• Understanding how qualifications are structured so that the student is aware of what course to do next.
• Planning their studies so the students can step from certificate to diploma then onto a degree.
• Planning their study load to make sure it suits how much time the students can dedicate towards the course.
• Working out the details of whether or not the student's previous tertiary study can be cross credited into one of the colleges’ qualifications.

The colleges’ distance learning programs also offer flexibility that can be ideal if the students have a disability, health condition, mental illness, or specific learning needs. The aim of the college is to bring the services and the classroom to the student and not the other way round. Learners who are faced with a disability or have specific learning issues or health condition needing special attention that if not catered to may affect their academic performance, can access specialist disability support services. The disability support services that are kept in place have been provided under contract by Vitae and coordinated by the Library and Learning Centre.

Library Services

Open Polytechnic of New Zealand has a credible and desirable online library that can be accessed by all its students. Their online library is available round the clock and is free, convenient, and easy to use. The library also comes with a distance lending service, with free and fast delivery, the students of the college can very well gain access to resources online, including guides on how to look for information and information on study techniques.

The library includes the following services that students can attain:

• Extra resources are listed in the students’ course materials which have not been included in the study material provided.
• A range of databases
• Subject guides to help the students find the information and resources they need for a particular subject
• A range of books, journals, eBooks, and magazines.