“We’re breaking new ground with national degrees.”

Amanda Torr and Julia Hennessy from Wellington Institute of Technology discuss developing the right qualifications for the right people.

“This has been a complex, exhaustive and exciting project.” says Dr Amanda Torr of the development of the national degrees in social work and youth work.

Amanda, seconded to the ITO from Wellington Institute of Technology (WelTec), and Julia Hennessy, Executive Dean at WelTec, have brought their research backgrounds, international contacts and education experience to bear on the development of a degree programme to meet new industry requirements for all registered social workers to have a degree.

Amanda has led the project, combining her deep knowledge of professional competence with a process designed to guarantee industry direction and involvement. The result is an academically coherent qualification that will support social services staff to understand their discipline’s body of knowledge and apply it in practice. 

“We are aiming to provide a pathway for people already in work. They may have a diploma or have been in work for years, but they need a workplace-friendly way to get the degree.” says Amanda. Where students can demonstrate their practice, they get credit for it. And where they need support, they can choose from the unit standards to supplement their prior learning.

Amanda comments, “Even staff with sound workplace practice based on years of experience can benefit from brushing up on the theory”. This is particularly important if the sector is to develop and work in new and innovative ways. “It can be hard to adapt your practice and problem-solve without understanding those first principles,” she adds.

The ITO and WelTec are breaking new ground. When registered in 2010, these will be the first national degrees based on unit standards and developed by an ITO. 

Julia brokered the partnership between the ITO and WelTec . She puts the success of this collaborative endeavour down to “establishing common ground and shared goals through the agreement and then being true to the purpose of the agreement”.

Although each organisation has its own requirements, governance structures and needs that had to be met through the project, the partnership has been seamless and, she considers, a good model for the industry to adopt.

At the end of the day, it’s about meshing academic and work-based education requirements to meet students’ and employers’ needs. “We are confident that these degrees are what the industry wants.” adds Amanda.