ITI Articles

Graduation is always a wonderful time of the year as institutions around the country celebrate the end results of months or years of hard work on the parts of students, teachers, and staff.

Two ITI members had special reasons to celebrate at the end of 2007: the International Travel College (ITC) had Hon Damien O’Connor – Minister of Tourism as a keynote speaker, and New Zealand Tertiary College (NZTC) celebrated its very first degree graduates.

ITC had “The Future of Tourism” as its theme for the evening and the ASB Lounge Event Suite at Eden Park Rugby Ground was transformed into a space set where photographs were snapped with a full size spaceman and a spaceship, an alien lit the way to the buffet table and the back drop was a huge night sky speckled with glittering stars.

Keynote speaker Hon Damien O’Connor – Minister of Tourism, shared details of his varied background. The minister talked to students about sustainability and the importance of the role they have to play in the future of travel and tourism in New Zealand, giving snippets of his tourism background and experience before and since his time in Parliament.

As well as celebrating its 25th anniversary, New Zealand Tertiary College celebrated their first ever graduates of the Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) degree programme.

The Auckland-based ITI member was accredited by NZQA to offer a Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) in 2007, supporting the ever-increasing recognition that quality early childhood teacher education programmes result in improved outcomes for young children.

General Manager Selena Fox says the degree programme meets a rapidly growing demand for a higher level of ECE training. NZTC is now the largest private provider in New Zealand offering an ECE degree.