New Zealand Management Academies (NZMA) have partnered with Ara Institute of Canterbury to provide a pathway for NZMA students studying a hospitality diploma to complete a degree at Ara in Christchurch.
This is great news for students, who may be looking to continue NZMA’s two-year level 6 Diploma in Hospitality Management, and now have the option of continuing their studies to forge a career with a hospitality or tourism degree. Students can transfer 180 credits from NZMA and then complete a degree at Ara, still within a degree timeframe of three years.
In addition, after completing their degree, international graduates will also be eligible for the three-year work visa under the new work rights policies.
NZMA Chief Executive Officer, Mark Worsop said, “We are always looking at ways to help our students strive to be their best. Being able to offer the option of a degree with Ara gives our students an edge with experience in both Auckland and Christchurch, and invaluable qualifications from two industry well-respected educators.”
The Ara Bachelor of International Tourism & Hospitality Management has been created in direct response to industry needs for skilled professionals to fill management roles in the booming New Zealand tourism and hospitality sector. The degree is delivered in Christchurch, giving students access to a vast range of hospitality and tourism industry providers in the South Island’s visitor gateway city. Ara students complete two major industry-based projects as part of the degree, ensuring graduates are work-ready and have first-hand experience and connections with the local tourism and hospitality sector.
Ara Tourism & Hospitality Degree leader Dr Michael Shone says the new pathway will offer NZMA graduates an ideal opportunity to build upon their existing training and gain a higher qualification for a growing industry sector. “The Christchurch tourism and hospitality sector continues to flourish. As we see the new convention centre and more new hotel capacity being developed in the city we can expect strong demand for tourism and hospitality management professionals. Ara’s Bachelor of International Tourism and Hospitality Management graduates are ideally placed to meet that demand.”
NZMA currently offers the New Zealand Diploma in Hospitality Management in its Auckland and Waikato campuses. Domestic and international students with the NZMA NZ Diploma in Hospitality Management will be eligible to apply for the Ara pathway programme. The programme will be advantageous for international students seeking to gain work experience in New Zealand after their studies, as degree graduates will be eligible to apply for a three year post-study work permit to work in the Canterbury region.
For NZMA, the agreement provides a valuable opportunity to expand their network of education partnerships to the South Island, NZMA Chief Executive Mark Worsop continued. “Ara and NZMA both have a long history of hospitality education and training, and we share a belief in the importance of work readiness and industry relevance in our programmes. This is a great opportunity for NZMA graduates to accelerate their professional development with the Ara degree.”
With the agreement now signed, NZMA and Ara will collaborate on promoting the pathway to the NZMA student and graduate community, ahead of the next intake for the Ara Bachelor of International Tourism & Hospitality Management in Christchurch on February 2019.
