New Zealand institutes of technology and polytechnics
Practical skills and hands-on experience
Applied learning
All ITP qualifications, from certificate to post-graduate level, are focused on specific job outcomes. It’s all about helping you further your career, and be more employable.
Learning on the job
ITP programmes can include internships, work placements and industry projects. It’s another way to help you gain experience and become job-ready.
The world is your workplace
New Zealand ITP qualifications are recognised internationally, giving you the widest possible job market.
High quality & State-owned
The highest standards
New Zealand’s ITPs and universities are public institutions. To get funding and support they have to meet standards of excellence from the government.
Courses shaped by industry
The courses at ITPs are informed by industry and employers to ensure their relevance. This also helps your employability when you graduate.
The best possible staff
The lecturers at ITPs have relevant industry experience and ITP qualifications are held in high regard by employers around the world.
Reform of ITPs
Latest News
Over the next few years, vocational education in New Zealand will be changing to create a more unified and future-focussed system.
The New Zealand Government’s Reform of Vocational Education will bring together New Zealand’s 16 Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs) to create the New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology, which will continue to be state-owned and funded.
The reforms aim to create a strong, unified, sustainable system for all vocational education that delivers the skills that learners, employers and communities need to thrive.
The new system will have a stronger focus on employers, delivering the skills they need, providing more support for their employees, and ensuring greater consistency in vocational education across the country. Longer term, this will increase the number of employers who are engaged in vocational education.
Work-integrated learning will become an increasingly important part of the vocational education system, giving people the opportunity and flexibility to earn while they learn and gain an education that is more directly relevant to the changing needs of the workplace. A unified vocational education system will bring together industry and educators to make sure New Zealand’s workforce is fit for today’s needs and tomorrow’s expectations.
The changes should have minimal effect on international students who wish to enrol. Students can confidently enrol at their education provider of choice in 2019 and 2020, including for multi-year programmes. Depending on how long their programme is, the qualification or credential may be awarded by the institution you enrolled with, or by the new Institute.
What you can do while studying in NZ ITPs
- Working 20 hours per week during the year
- Full time during scheduled breaks
- If you are a student, who is studying from Postgraduate Programmes (Level 8), your partner and dependent child can live in NZ with the same duration like you. Your partner can be eligible to apply a work visa and your child can study free in NZ schools as a domestic student.
What you can do after studying in NZ ITPs
If you’d like to work here after gaining your qualification to get some experience, you need to know about our requirements to work after study. It’s good to have these in mind when deciding what course to enrol in so you gain a qualification that’s needed and valued by New Zealand employers. This work visa duration varies depending on your qualification. For example, you can be eligible for 3 years work visa after studying 3 years bachelor degree or above.
Migrant opportunity
Student Visa
Open work visa(1-3years)
Renewal work visa or Resident visa
There are lots of different industries that really need skilled people. If you’d like to stay in New Zealand long-term, you can increase your chance of getting a work visa if you have experience or qualification in key industries such as IT, Engineering, Agriculture & Forestry, Health & Social Services. Once you get the enough points and meet the requirement, you can apply for Permanent regisdent visa.