Tai Poutini Polytechnic graduate sought after thanks to qualification combo
Tuesday 3 November 2009, 11:35AM
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23rd October, 2009
Tai Poutini Polytechnic IT graduate success story Craig Liddell is stepping his way up the employment ladder with two major companies now under his employment belt. After two and a half years at Hewlett Packard he recently accepted an IT role at Statistics New Zealand as a Software Tester.
Liddell began his career at Tai Poutini Polytechnic after realising he was interested in both business and IT at school. Motivated by fees offered by the Greymouth based campus he enrolled in the Diploma in Information Communication and Technology (Levels 5 and 6).
“I was living in Greymouth already which meant I didn’t have to travel far to study which saved me money. I wasn’t 100% certain whether it was what I wanted to do, so a short diploma was a good stepping stone option for me,” he says.
After successfully graduating from the Diploma and picking up a lot of practical skills Liddell knew he wanted to pursue IT as a career. Little did he know how far the Diploma would take him before his 30th birthday.
Having qualified he entered directly into year two of the Bachelor of Information Technology at Christchurch Polytechnic’s Institute of Technology (CPIT), thanks to the cross crediting relationship between Tai Poutini Polytechnic and CPIT.
"My tutors at Tai Poutini Polytechnic spoke highly of CPIT so I chose to continue my study with them. I liked the fact that the more theoretical basis of the compulsory courses slotted nicely into the practical work I had already completed. It created a full picture of the IT world."
Liddell says although his study took a little longer because he completed the Diploma first, it gave him a level of understanding, skills and practical grounding which prepared him well for the degree and the beginning of his career.
“The skills I picked up at Tai Poutini Polytechnic were transferrable to not only CPIT, but for my two and a half years at Hewlett Packard and now at Statistics New Zealand,” he says. “Tai Poutini was known at CPIT and the relationship there was strong. The practical application I got at TPP was a useful selling point at the foot-in-the-door stages.”
Liddell noticed benefits of studying at both polytechnics. At Tai Poutini Polytechnic the learning was very practical based and hands on. “I managed to pick up so much being in a computer lab most of the time which prepared me for CPIT’s more theoretical teaching,” he says. “With the combination of both qualifications on my resume I felt really confident applying for jobs.”
His fondest memory at Tai Poutini Polytechnic was the great bunch of people and the tutors.
“Given Tai Poutini Polytechnic has small class sizes the learning was made easier and staff were very approachable.”
Tai Poutini Polytechnic pride themselves on the strong established relationships they have with the local workforce making their programmes a sure stepping stone towards bigger qualifications and careers for their students.
Ends.
For more information please contact:
Kate Campbell DD: (03) 769 9665
Head of Department Email: katec@tpp.ac.nz
Business and Computing
Tai Poutini Polytechnic
www.tpp.ac.nz
About Tai Poutini Polytechnic:
Tai Poutini Polytechnic (TPP) offers a range of exciting programmes, has had one of the highest course completion rates in New Zealand for the last 3 years, has low student to tutor ratios and great relationships with business and industry. TPP has campuses in Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Christchurch, Wanaka, Invercargill, Westport, Greymouth, Reefton and Hokitika. In 2010 Scholarships are available for most programmes* (* Conditions apply)