Tim Fowler, CE of the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) visited Unitec last Friday to attend a forum with staff at the invitation of The Tertiary Education Union (TEU).
Speaking to the gathered group, Tim explained that he was here for a conversation with staff and had been talking to Council and ELT for some time. He stressed the value of Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics within the education system and said: “Unitec’s financial situation is not unique. Other ITPs are either already experiencing or heading towards the same set of financial circumstances so the Government is exploring options for addressing that through its ITP Roadmap 2020 project.
The staff who attended were able to share their views on Unitec’s recent history, lessons to be learned and their ideas for its future direction.
TEU Unitec branch president, Wei Yuen Loo said: “We are grateful for Tim’s time, the transparent way he engaged with us, and his honest responses to the questions that we asked him. Tim said he would like to continue the dialogue so I’m happy to pass on any additional comments from staff.”
Anyone who wasn’t able to attend but would like to share their thoughts with the TEC can email Wei Yuen Loo who will collate and send the feedback to Tim Fowler. All correspondence will be treated in the strictest confidence and sent un-named, unless otherwise requested.