2006

November 2006

AIS St Helens Wins Government Project

SEAMEO RETRAC English Language teaching staff

The New Zealand Minister of Tertiary Education Hon Dr Michael Cullen announced last week that AIS St Helens has won an export education innovation grant to develop the Teacher Enabled Learning System Online (TELSO) project in Vietnam.

"Supporting international education is an investment in New Zealand's future," Dr Cullen said. "The sector generates about $2 billion annually for New Zealand. It also strengthens our international links, and increases the skills, knowledge and productivity of our education providers."

"Our partner in Vietnam is the South East Asia Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO)," Dr Anatole Bogatski said. Dr Bogatski is AIS St Helens Market Development Director and is leading the TELSO project.

The TELSO project takes the AIS St Helens English teaching textbook and transfers it onto the internet in a way where teaching online is done both in classroom groups with teachers as well as more traditionally individually at home by learners.

"The SEAMEO Regional Training Center (RETRAC) in Ho Chi Minh City will be implementing the TELSO Project in their extensive English language teaching facilities. Once the testing has been done, we will work with RETRAC to expand the TELSO facility to other delivery centres in Vietnam and South East Asia," Dr Bogatski said.

AIS St Helens was one of four grant recipients along with Massey University, University of Otago and UCOL.

For further information please contact Dr Bogatski on mailto:anatoleb@ais.ac.nz

AIS St Helens at Taiwan Festival

On 4 and 5 November, AIS St Helens took part in the Taiwan festival. AIS St Helens displayed school information to many visitors including current students and alumni. All said that they were proud to be part of the AIS St Helens family.

Katina Ceremony in Asquith Campus

AIS St Helens sponsored the Katina Ceremony organised by the Thai Buddhist Club on Sunday 29 October. Katina Ceremony is a custom which is more than 25 centuries old and has been preserved down to these modern days. Around 150 people including 20 AIS St Helens students attended this ceremony at AIS St Helens Asquith Campus sports hall.

MBA Graduate Paul Si’ulepa

Photo and article from SPASIFIK magazine

It is ironic that Paul Si’ulepa was born in the very place that has given him his biggest career break. AIS St Helens in the Auckland city suburb of Western Springs used to be an antenatal hospital. Now it’s producing some of the most in demand business graduates in the Asian-Pacific region – Paul among them.

Wanting to up skill was the obvious motivator to pursuing his Masters of Business Administration (MBA) but it was that global focus that convinced the 45 year-old Samoan to choose AIS St Helens.

“Doing my MBA at the AIS St Helens gave me a more worldly view than the westernised view of business I was used to,” he explained.

“Mixing and working with people of other cultures gives you some insight that you probably wouldn’t get anywhere else. It gives you an inkling of the market first hand and what works.”

And that experience has carved out his approach to business. “If you’re not thinking global, you’re not with the play,” he says.

Paul gained a Certificate in Direct Marketing while in Australia in 1985. He then returned home and clocked up over twenty years of experience working for a number of companies and government agencies including the New Zealand Herald, Work and Income and the New Zealand Immigration Service, where he held the position of National Call Centre Manager and Pacific Strategy Director, before enrolling at AIS St Helens in 2000.

During the 18 month course, Paul re-evaluated his goals and because of the networks he had developed saw a different outcome for himself.

“When I decided to do my MBA my whole outlook was I wanted to be higher in the government department I was working with. I got halfway through it and learned there was a bigger world out there and I needed to do my own thing,” Paul adds.

“What this MBA gives you is leadership and confidence.”

Upon graduating in December 2002 and armed with his MBA, Paul started up two “niche” recruitment/employment companies International People Solutions Limited, and Graduate Personnel Limited.

Paul resides in Mt Albert but grew up out west educated at Kelston Boys High School.

He is a devoted Christian, married to his “childheart sweetheart” Barbara with sons Sam (10) and Jack (5).

He traces his Samoan ancestry back to Satalo-Falealili, through his father Soi Teo Si’ulepa and Manono, through his mother Leiataua Afega Si’ulepa. He was also a top rugby league player in his youth representing New Zealand at youth level.

Click on the Link below to view our other graduate profiles
http://www.ais.ac.nz/pages/255/graduates-profiles.htm

Diwali festival at Asquith Campus

The Indian Sub Continent Student Association at AIS St Helens hosted the Diwali celebration recently for all staff and students. The event was a great night featuring a local dance group, a parade of Indian fashions and also a local singer from Radio Tarana who really impressed the crowd. Around 150 students and staff came to enjoy the evening and a great night of fun, dancing and food was shared by all.

January Intake Dates

Semesters start in 2007 on the 30th January, 21st May, 10th September

For the January Semester Students are expected to attend the enrollment day on the 26th of January from 9am.

An orientation will be held for all new students at 1pm on this day.

Students enrolling in the MBA programme will need to attend the enrollment and orientation weekend beginning at 9am on the 10th of February.

Website Link:
Click on the Link below to view our news
http://www.ais.ac.nz/pages/444/agent-newsletter.htm

October 2006

English Plus Diploma / Degree

Thank you very much for your cooperation with AIS St Helens over a long-time. We would like this cooperation to continue and for your business to grow as part of the AIS St Helens family of friends.

In order to work more closely with you, we have developed an EAP plus undergraduate course package with the inclusion of a number of more favourable conditions.

If students successfully pass the 12 week EAP class and enroll in our diploma or bachelor programmes, the 12 week EAP tuition fee (less agent commission and student service fee) will be credited toward their diploma or first year undergraduate study. This package will include all our diploma and bachelor programmes. The student must pre-pay the full year tuition fee less the credited amount for this policy to apply.

We will also apply this policy to our IELTS and General English classes as some students may wish to enter our diploma or bachelor programmes through these channels.

If you have any questions on this plan, please feel free to contact me.

Academic Developments

We have been approved by NZQA to offer a Certificate in Hospitality (General Skills) Level 3 and a Certificate in Hospitality (Front Office) Level 3. These will be first offered in Semester 1, 2007.

We are currently preparing a proposal to offer a Bachelor of Information Technology degree with four specialisations based on the Immigration Skill Shortage List. We expect the proposal to be submitted to NZQA by the end of 2006 and hopefully to be approved mid-2007. Watch this space for progress reports.

The new Certificate in Foundation Studies (Level 3) has been approved by NZQA and will be offered in Semester 1, 2007. This is a two semester programme for those whose academic preparation needs strengthening before entering the degree programmes. There is the possibility of mid-point entry directly into the second semester of the programme for those who meet certain conditions.

We have received approval from NZQA to change the name of our Bachelor of Language and Culture to a Bachelor of Arts. There are two specialisations: (i) Language and Culture, and (ii) TESOL. The Language and Culture specialisation has already been approved and will be offered from Semester 1, 2007. The TESOL specialisation approval is expected before the end of the year. Please note that there is now only one language requirement for the Language and Culture specialisation, rather than the previous two.

Academic Scholarships Awarded

The top scholars in undergraduate degree programmes were recognised recently at the award ceremony for scholarships granted for further studies in Semester 3 2006.

At a prize-giving in the atrium of the Asquith Campus on 11 October, 25 deserving students received grants of up to $1,000 towards their tuition fees. There were 14 scholarship winners from the Bachelor of International Business, 8 from the Bachelor of Tourism Management, and 3 from the Bachelor of Language and Culture.

Scholarships are awarded each semester by the Directors of the Institute to recognise consistent high achievement in degree-level studies. They are based on the GPA (Grade Point Average) of all results over the previous two semesters of the degree, over a minimum load of five courses. With around 350 students currently enrolled in these three programmes, they represent the top 7% of bachelor degree students.

Academic Director Dr Mike Roberts congratulated all students for their achievement, and noted that the recipients, who came from China, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Russia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Iran, Taiwan and Samoa represented the international cross-cultural face of the Institute. Dr Roberts encouraged the winners to contribute as peer tutors in the AIS St Helens Academic Success Centre assisting lower level students in their studies, and encouraged all students to strive for higher results overall.

Fujian Medical Training Group

The Fujian Medical Training Group arrived at AIS St Helens on 17 October to begin an 8-day New Zealand Medical and Pharmaceutical System training programme created by AIS St Helens. The group consisted of 19 members, all senior positions in different hospitals of Fujian Province. The programme included lectures by doctors from Auckland Hospital, staff of pharmacy and insurance companies and visits to local hospitals, clinics and pharmacies.

IT 2+1 with Zhenjiang College

AIS St Helens is facilitating a “2+1” joint Computing and Information Technology programme with Zhenjiang College. 22 students are enrolled in the programme in year 2 courses at present. This year another 18 students have been recruited to the programme.

Three IT teachers are currently at AIS St Helens until 14 December. The purpose of the visit is to discuss and work with our IT department on how to better deliver our level 3, 4, 5 IT programmes to their Sino-NZ class students, to observe our classes and learn teaching style and methodology.

AIS St Helens welcomes enquiries regarding similar programmes.

ICT Graduate Opportunities

The New Zealand information technology industry is suffering from an all time low of skilled employees. AIS St Helens information technology courses offer Microsoft approved learning and experience to students to help them meet the demands of employers and the fast paced information technology industry. The following links are to articles from the industry regarding the shortage of skilled IT professionals in New Zealand.

http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/NL/92D7DAC2BDABCD5BCC25720D0000DDE8

http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/NL/4A05AFB7490B80B1CC25720D00084D6E

September 2006

2006 Graduation Ceremony

On Friday 15 September, AIS St Helens held its largest graduation ceremony to date, with 194 graduands formally receiving their certificates, diplomas and degrees before an audience of family, friends and invited guests. The ceremony was held in one of Auckland’s major venues, The ASB Theatre at the Aotea Centre in the city, and the keynote address was delivered by Pansy Wong, MP.

The largest group to graduate were those receiving the Bachelor of International Business degree (83), followed by the Master of Business Administration degree (56). We also had our first graduates with our newest bachelors’ degree, the Bachelor of Tourism Management.

NZAPEP Award

A = Achieve
I = Incomparable
S = Success

This is what Cleo Leggan set out to attain when she joined AIS St Helens in 2002. After completing her final high school year at Onehunga High School she began her studies with us in the Bachelor of Language and Culture programme (now a Bachelor of Arts) and immediately began to make an impact in the school.

In 2002 and 2003 Cleo entered and won the Chinese Language Competition in New Zealand. Last year she graduated with a Bachelor of Language and Culture and this year, after completing 10 more courses, she graduated with a Bachelor of International Business, and was elected as the valedictorian for her programme.

AIS St Helens was a nominee in the prestigious NZAPEP awards and was highly commended in the category of “Trainer Provider of the Year”. Cleo was nominated for the category of “Student of the Year” and was chosen out of the many participants as the 2006 Student of the Year.

Chinese Performance Events

On 22 September, the Consulate General of the Peoples Republic of China, in association with the Chinese Students Association, AIS Chinese Students Association, AUT Chinese Students Association and Massey Chinese Students Association, organised a performance to celebrate “10.1” China’s National Day at Epsom Girls’ Grammar School.

There were 15 performances in total, by Chinese students of different universities and institutes in New Zealand. More than 1000 persons attended this time. Police Asian Liaison Officer Jessica Phuang and her colleague also attended this evening and joined our students’ performance.

The AIS Chinese students association prepared two performances, and the group singing was really impressive. We were the last performance on that evening to give the evening a great ending.

Indian Visit

Glenys Elwood recently extended her portfolio to include the Indian market and has just returned from attending the New Zealand Education Fairs in India. Glenys says “it was great to meet our agents in India and see what the Indian market has to promise in the future. I look forward to building strong relationships with all our agents across India”. Highlights for her were the presentation of the award to Liz Bandra for winning the agent of the year and meeting so many wonderful prospective students while seeing more of the richness that is India.

Charity Event

On Friday 25 August 2006 Djaja Kusno attended a Charity Dinner dedicated to the people of Yogyakarta who had suffered a volcanic eruption and tsunami causing serious lose of life and property. The event was organised by the Indonesian Students Association in Auckland, and was sponsored by AIS St Helens.

STUDYLINK NEW POLICY from 2 October 2006

When domestic students apply for a renewal of their student allowance, they must have passed more than half of their previous full time tertiary course of study to get it again. Studylink will be accessing the course completion information in the Single Data Return to confirm results. The exams results will not be used to verify the student’s study result. If students are not sure about their results, a ROS (results of study) request will be sent to them, which needs to be completed by our Student Services – Admin Office.

Check out http://www.studylink.govt.nz for more information or call on 0800 88 99 00

July 2006

New BIB Specialisations

AIS St Helens has achieved further success with the approval by NZQA of five new majors in the Bachelor of International Business degree. These are:

Accounting
E-business
International Marketing
International Trade
Management

The Accounting major gives automatic qualification as Accounting Technician within the NZ Society of Chartered Accountants. Students will need to sit a further formal examination to qualify as a Chartered Accountant in New Zealand and Australia.

E-business takes our expertise in Information Technology and builds it into the international business degree. Graduates with the E-business major will be technically superior managers and will be at the leading edge of business development.

International Marketing is a key skill for all businesses in the globalisation era and our degree now gives students hard core marketing qualifications to complement their wider business qualification.

The International Trade courses are always popular with all students interested in international business. Now the major in International Trade takes this interest and turns it into a qualification leading to jobs in many areas of trade – exporting or importing, freight forwarding or logistics, customs or documentation, trade policy or promotion.

Our Management major is for students wishing to specialise in core skills such as HR, leadership, planning, databases and other management areas. The BIB (Management) will equip graduates with skills that all employers are looking for.

New Bachelor of Arts

We have also had a name change approved the Bachelor of Language and Culture (BLC) is now renamed the Bachelor of Arts (Language and Culture). In the next few weeks we will be announcing approval of the BA (TESOL) which is recognition of the strength that AIS St Helens has built over the last ten years in English teacher training. The BA (TESOL) will extend the current CertTEFL into a full bachelor programme with embedded Level 5 and Level 6 diplomas.


Business English

The latest course launched by the English Language Centre is the Certificate in Business English.

“This course grounds students in business vocabulary and topics, while still extending their English language skills. It is ideal for high level students who have a background in business or are looking to enter the business world in New Zealand,” says ELC Head Terry Leotta.

This is a twelve week, full time programme is scheduled to run from August 7th to October 27th.

The Ball

The first AIS St Helens Ball in over five years took place on the 30th of June.

The night went well with over 230 staff and students as well as many agents based in New Zealand attending, dressed in formal attire ready to dance. The Ball was held at the Asquith Campus and was a great night, with live music, dancing and supper provided. We look forward to seeing many more of you there next year.

Open Day

The AIS St Helens Open Day saw quite a number of agents and many high school students attending. Programmes were represented by their teaching staff. Activities were set up for each group to participate in from First Aid lessons to team building games and activities relevant to the programmes.

All of those who attended had a good day and learnt something more about the programmes AIS St Helens offers.

Changsha School Opening

The largest delegation ever sent from AIS St Helens traveled to Changsha Hunan Province in China to be part of the ceremony opening the Hunan Mass Media AIS English Language School. Two weeks after opening, the school has over 60 students and further growth is anticipated. The opening ceremony speech by Y.S. Hsieh, Chairman of AIS St Helens, was warmly received by the many distinguished guests, including the Deputy Governor of Hunan Province. The Chairman spoke of the rapidly developing central part of China and the continual need to raise the English language levels of students and others seeking educational and training opportunities both in China and abroad. His speech was covered by Hunan television, radio and print media and widely reported. A major part of the success so far of the school is the professionalism and excellence of the teaching staff from AIS St Helens in Auckland who are assisting with the school establishment and first few months of teaching.


Teacher's group from Zhenjiang

16 Zhenjiang teachers are doing CertTELF class at AIS St Helens. They are from three different high schools of Zhenjiang city. The teachers say that AIS St Helens English lecturers are skillful and very welcoming. They like their homestay families and are enjoying New Zealand weather very much.

Taiwanese students

44 students from Jinwen Institute of Technology Taiwan have been visiting AIS St Helens for one week. They had opportunities to learn General English, had seminars with Travel and Tourism teachers and students, learned and presented the maori haka with kiwi staff. They are very happy with the AIS St Helens programme.

Link to CLP code of practice
http://www.minedu.govt.nz/goto/international

Updating Agent Contracts

To all our friends, we ask that you check our Agency Agreement to ensure that they are up to date and current. Please contact your marketing staff representative to have these updated.

June 2006

Agent Evening
We would like to cordially invite you to a wine and nibbles evening for the launching of the new AIS St Helens MBA specialisations. These specialisations will add an exciting new dimension to the MBA programme and Dr Richard Goodall, President, will talk about these. Several AIS St Helens MBA graduates will also talk about their employment stories. This evening is: Wednesday 9th August 5pm to 7.30pm in the Atrium in Asquith Campus, 120 Asquith Ave, Western Springs. We look forward to welcoming you

MBA Update
We are very pleased to be able to advise you that the new AIS St Helens MBA specialisations have been formally approved by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.

This means that we now offer four MBAs:

MBA in Finance
MBA in Marketing
MBA in International Business
MBA in Operations and Logistics

Our 2007 Prospectus will reflect these additions and include all the details of the specialisation modules. The www.ais.ac.nz website MBA section will also be updated with the new information.

As a Level 9 qualification, the length of the programme will now increase to 18 months and 180 credits. The price will also slightly increase as the specialised modules will need to be taught on weekday evenings, as well as the usual weekend format.

All current MBA students will be able to transfer to the new specialisations after they have completed their twelve core modules (which are the same for all four specialisations) and the specialisation pre-requisite modules. Graduates of the AIS St Helens or any other New Zealand MBA programme will be able to upgrade their general MBA into a specialised MBA by having their twelve core modules cross credited. They will then be able to commence the specialised modules immediately (and pre-requisite modules if necessary).

The new specialisations are based on the Kelloggs and Wharton MBA programmes and are taught by experienced professionals in Auckland. We have designed them to ensure the best possible employment outcomes and salary levels for all graduates.

AIS St Helens will continue to support all our MBA and other students and ensure that they have the best possible qualification for their future needs, whether as a Permanent Resident in New Zealand or as a successful manager in their country of origin.

Indian Alumni

Alumni and current student networking	Indian songs presented by Mrs Sandhya Rao

Around 100 alumni from the Auckland area attended to hear speeches from colleagues and AIS St Helens management .

The highlight of this evening was AIS St Helens Indian Subcontinent Association sponsorship of a child in India through Child Fund New Zealand. Marketing Director Dr. Anatole Bogatski, presented the cheque to Mrs. Sandhya Rao of Child Fund New Zealand.

Foundation Studies Update
It is with excitement that we can announce several new offerings in the area of Foundation Studies at AIS St Helens.

The Certificate in University Foundation Studies will be running in September 2006 and is a one semester programme leading to both higher study at AIS St Helens or a full year foundation at Otago University, and on to university degrees. The subject range offered includes Academic English, Accounting, Economics and Mathematics. The programme will be accessible for students with a demonstrated English ability of IELTS 5.0 or equivalent.

For 2007 we are looking forward to two new Foundation Prgrammes to be offered in January, May and September. These programmes will lead directly into any of the AIS St Helens degrees and will replace the old UOFY programme. The first will be of two semesters duration and aimed at international students who are still building English language proficiency or ‘second chance’ domestic students; while the second will provide an accelerated single semester pathway into degree study. Both of these programmes will offer high quality degree preparation covering the essential skills of literacy, numeracy and analysis.

Basketball Competition

Basket ball winning team – “Shooters”	Most Valued Player – Jay Sun and Dr. Richard Goodall

The AIS St Helens Basketball Finals competition was enjoyed by a crowd of120 spectators. Dr. Richard Goodall, President, presented the trophies to the winning teams. The Most Valued Player for Season Two was Jay Sun from “Fire” who very much deserved the award.

Information Technology Updates

IT Orientation	Dr. Mike Roberts giving a speech to students

The student orientation for IT programmes was conducted on 30 May in the Atrium at Asquith Campus. The orientation was for all new students from Level 4 to Level 7. Dr. Mike Roberts, Academic Director, addressed the students explaining to them the importance of NZQA Unit Standards on which all the IT Programmes are based. The Graduate Diploma in Information Technology qualifying requirements for the industry project was explained by the GDIT Projects Coordinator, Chris Mitchell. The services provided by Careers and Alumni Office were outlined by the Careers and Alumni Manager, Elizabeth Warner. The students were requested to contact her for CVs, cover letters and job search assistance in New Zealand.

Jing Sha, a student from the GDIT programme spoke about her experiences when doing the industry project. Another student, Chei Wei Chang, a graduate of the Diploma in Information Technology Level 5, shared his experiences studying for his diploma in AIS St Helens and his internship through the IT Placement Cell of AIS St Helens. The orientation finished with a speech from Programme Administrator, Altaf Shaikh, who highlighted the importance to students of commitment and hard work in achieving their goals.