Ara | Te Pūkenga – Awanui Collaboration
Te Whatu Kairangi Group Award
Educator/Industry partnership is an exemplar for others
This awardee group from Ara Institute of Canterbury | Te Pūkenga and Awanui Group includes:
- Tracy Hutton, Programme Leader and Academic Staff member - Applied Sciences and Social Practice in Ara | Te Pūkenga
- Dr Grant Bennett, Senior Academic Staff Member - Applied Sciences and Social Practice in Ara | Te Pūkenga
- Heather Compton, Learning and Capability Manager in Awanui Group
- Alan Hoskin, Educational Developer in Ara | Te Pūkenga
- Marion Hale, Educational Developer in Ara | Te Pūkenga
- Derek Chirnside, Educational Developer in Ara | Te Pūkenga
- Elaine Rutherford, Senior Academic Staff member - Applied Sciences and Social Practice in Ara | Te Pūkenga
- Clare Hutchinson, Academic Staff Member Applied Sciences and Social Practice in Ara | Te Pūkenga.
Ara | Te Pūkenga – Awanui Collaboration group members (left to right): Heather Compton, Elaine Rutherford, Marion Hale, Dr Grant Bennett, Tracy Hutton, Derek Chirnside, Clare Hutchinson, and Alan Hoskin.
This collaboration is an outstanding example of how education/industry partnerships can bring success for students and benefits to industry. The group combined expertise from Ara Institute of Canterbury | Te Pūkenga and the Awanui Group, a large and leading provider of medical laboratory testing and pathology services across New Zealand with extensive training needs.
They have succeeded in their aim to provide improved and authentic training pathways for pre-analytical technicians founded on learning in the clinical settings. The blending of industry knowledge, academic and pedagogical expertise, with an informed understanding of learner needs, has ensured the programme’s success. Its implementation has enhanced Awanui’s work with better staff training, learner experiences, and increased Māori and Pacific recruitment. Reported learner satisfaction in the programme has risen from 72% to 98% with the introduction of the new approaches developed by the group. A senior Awanui staff member commented “…working in the industry for 26 years, … I cannot speak highly enough of the diploma and the team at Ara.” A student described the lecturers “exceptional teaching skills, dedication and a genuine passion in the field.”
The programme has already received recognition by teaching and industry organisations, and other groups within the medical services sector are now exploring using the same approaches.