In advance of Helen Clark's visit to Tauranga on 30th October for the Regional Economic Forum meeting, I received an email from Jodie Topping at Cucumber Software.
The Bay of Plenty Polytechnic and University of Waikato will be presenting an inter-institutional proposal for expanded tertiary education in the Bay. University degree level ICT provision is a very important part of the case being made.
The University of Waikato’s School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences is working to scope possible expansion of ICT degree-level teaching and research in Tauranga. This would involve the development and delivery of high-quality courses which are relevant to the present and anticipated needs of the Western Bay of Plenty ICT Cluster.
Skill shortages in the ICT sector are real. I have blogged before about the need to develop the tertiary education sector in the Bay of Plenty, one of New Zealand's fastest growing regions. The initiative above is a hugely positive one. Let's hope that the Ministers joining Helen Clark on this visit understand that.
