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  • English New Zealand’s new Accredited Pathway Assessment opens up cross-sector collaboration

    Bridge International College, Kaplan International Languages and Languages International are now able to offer the Accredited Pathway Assessment (APA).

    Although there are already agreements between individual English New Zealand schools and universities, the APA puts in place a structure for acceptance of proficiency across all of the universities, English New Zealand executive director Kim Renner says.

    “This will enable greater collaboration between English Language schools and the universities,” Renner says. “With inevitable changes coming for the export education industry due to COVID-19, seamless pathways into further study and close collaboration will become more important than ever before.”

    In Australia, the rate of students who transitioned to further study is significant – according to a report released by the Australian government in January, 54 percent of English language students go on to attend an Australian university or vocational training provider. Anecdotally, we know the rate in New Zealand is much lower. There is room for New Zealand to encourage more of the 20,000 plus students who study at unfunded English language schools in New Zealand to make much more of pathway opportunities.

    Accredited schools will use the APA to attract those students who are interested in studying at a New Zealand university, but may not meet the current English Language standards.

    The APA is also a way that English Language schools can prepare students for New Zealand’s academic teaching style.

    “The assessment is built into a school’s teaching – it’s not a one-off test,” Renner says. “Key goals are to increase cross-sector collaboration and provide a great student experience.”

    This announcement is a result of a Memorandum of Understanding signed by English New Zealand and Universities New Zealand in June last year. The APA is only available to English New Zealand member schools.

  • New Sino-New Zealand vocational teacher training base opens

    The new training base will operate out of the Shaanxi Polytechnic Institute, a key institution partner for New Zealand ITPs and one of the leading vocational education colleges in Western China’s Shaanxi Province.

    It follows the first Sino-New Zealand vocational teacher training base launched in Qingdao Technical College late last year.

    Adele Bryant, ENZ’s Senior Advisor – China, said it’s a great opportunity to bring New Zealand best practice to more Chinese TVET teachers, particularly in areas such as curriculum design, quality assurance and assessment.

    “More Chinese TVET teachers will benefit from the tailor-made training programmes jointly developed by New Zealand and Chinese TVET experts, building on the Train the Trainers Programme that many Chinese vocational teachers have undertaken in New Zealand over the last few years,” said Adele.  

    An unveiling ceremony was held on 11 May at the Silk Road Education Cooperation Expo in Xi’an, with representatives from the Shaanxi Provincial Government, Department of International Cooperation and Exchange of the Chinese Ministry of Education (MoE) in attendance. 

    Other attendees included the President of Shaanxi Polytechnic Institute, Director of the Central Institute of Vocational and Technical Education, the Economic Counsellor from New Zealand Embassy Beijing and Tony O’Brien, Sino-New Zealand Project Director of the Model Vocational Education Programme.

    The training bases are part of the Model Vocational Education Programme work plan for 2018-2019. 

    The Chinese government released its National Implementation Plan for Vocational Education Reform in February this year, in which upskilling TVET teachers is a key priority, including through the building of 100 teacher training centres.

    Adele says this would open further teacher training opportunities for the New Zealand TVET sector.

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