Performance Indicators
As the largest provider of vocational and applied training in New Zealand we understand the importance of the service we offer both to our students and the wider community. We recognise that students need to be confident in the education that they will receive from Unitec in order to make the commitment needed to study here.
The introduction of the Government's Tertiary Performance Indicators in 2010 offers students a snapshot of Unitec's performance. It provides students, the community and employers with a greater insight into how we are performing and the information they need to make the best choice for them.
The information below is based on domestic students funded through the TEC's Student Achievement Component (SAC) funding mechanism.
The Four Tertiary Performance Indicators
Successful Completion of Courses
This is the foundation on which student success is built. The successful completion of courses shows that students are undertaking courses that are at the right level, are developing during the courses and leaving the courses with the skills they require. If the completion rate is too high or too low it can indicate that students are entering qualifications at the wrong level or courses are not challenging students.
This measure is particularly important at Unitec given the number of part-time and in work students who study with us. These students often choose to complete qualifications over a number of years or undertake courses to develop specific skills they need in their career.
Completion of Qualifications
The large number of part-time students we have means that some of our students undertake qualifications over a number of years. We also have a number of students undertaking NZQA national qualifications or exit qualifications as they want to learn specific skills rather than get a certain qualification.
The way this measure is calculated means that institutions with a growing student population or who offer a high proportion of multiple year programmes, such as Unitec, may show a reduction in the percentage of students completing qualifications even though the actual number has stayed consistent. The accuracy of this indicator is also limited because of our current reporting processes. We will be undertaking additional analysis to identify some of the drivers affecting this measure.
Students Retained in Study
Our current strong performance against this indicator shows that students are keen to return to Unitec for further study which is a strong indication of the value they place on our courses. However, at Unitec we try to provide courses to people throughout their careers. Our student population includes part-time and in work students that might not return straight away to education, but intersperse their education with their work commitments.
Student Progression to Higher Level Study
This indicator looks at the progression of students studying at level 1-4 to higher levels of education. While we have many programmes at 1-3 which are designed to encourage student progression to higher level study many of our level 4 programmes are designed to create work ready graduates. This is especially true of some of our vocational and trade-based courses where students expect to leave their programmes and progress into paid employment, not further study.
