New Zealand Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care

at Ara Institute of Canterbury - City Campus New Zealand

Our qualification equips you with the skills and knowledge in peak demand and builds on your basic accounting skills and provides detailed study in taxation and compliance, as well as advanced financial and management accounting.

You will be capable of identifying opportunities for cost efficiencies, savings and future growth, and helping business leaders understand fiscal risk. In addition, you will also complete work experience on a business project. You will need to have current knowledge of accounting at an introductory level to enrol in this programme.

The program covers a broad range of topics and skills related to web development and design. These include determining client requirements; using frameworks and libraries; user experience design; programming concepts, applications and implementation; configuration; publishing and testing of web solutions. In addition, it covers skills in IT technical support for managing hardware and software resources. You'll also enhance your knowledge of professional, ethical and legal principles and practices, and develop your communication and interpersonal skills.

Businesses in the 21st Century are wanting more data analytics and evaluation of business intelligence. This specialisation will equip you with sound business knowledge and management expertise, and the ability to work with business information systems and strategies to grow any enterprise.

In your first year of study you’ll develop knowledge in core business strategies including accounting, business communication, commercial law, business heritage, culture and sustainability, marketing, computing, management and applied research.

In the second and third years you’ll focus on business information systems and enhance your understanding of business decision making and planning processes. You’ll also complete a Cooperative Education Project where you’ll work 'hands-on' in a business environment applying your learning on a real-world info systems problem or opportunity.

Flexibility has been built into this degree, allowing you to not only to study part-time, full-time and/or in the evenings, but to choose two specialisations at no extra cost and requiring no additional time. Alternatively, you can personalise your degree by including up to five elective courses (Level 5 and above, equal to 15 credits each) from any subject area of your choosing.

The Bachelor of Sustainability and Outdoor Education is the only outdoor education degree in New Zealand that includes sustainability as a major component. It provides a unique combination of theory and practice to ensure you graduate with a sound understanding of contemporary social and cultural issues, geography and sustainability, and a proven capability in outdoor education. It is a broad degree that allows you to tailor your learning to meet the needs of a variety of career aspirations including teaching, conservation, outdoor instruction and guiding.

During your studies, you’ll engage with the natural landscape to develop an in-depth understanding of sustainability, and what it means to our society now and for the future. You’ll explore flora and fauna and consider social geography with the human influences and impacts on our environment including how decisions on land use are made. You’ll also develop your inter-personal skills and learn effective methods for teaching, guiding and helping other people to engage with and respect our spectacular natural environment.

Essential studies include health and wellness, geography, environmental science, professional practices, leadership and safety. These are mixed with elective theory and practical courses to foster your personal strengths and interests. Elective course options include climate change, adventure therapy, M?ori studies and cultural learning as well as adventure pursuits like rock climbing and ropes courses, white water and sea kayaking, surfing and stand-up paddle boarding.

This diploma is designed to equip you with sales and marketing skills that will enable you to contribute to the achievements of a business or organisation. It covers business basics such as communication, human resources, business law, organisational culture, economics, risk management and problem solving, then focuses on sales and marketing aspects of business. This focus will give you knowledge and skills in marketing philosophy, segmentation, targeting and positioning. You'll also gain skills in managing performance, attitudes and buyer behaviour.

The Postgraduate Diploma in Creative Practice has been designed for musicians, dramatists, performing and visual artists, designers, film makers, writers, directors and other professional creatives who wish to take their first foray into postgraduate study. It will enable you to advance your creative practice and develop knowledge and specialist skills, beyond those gained through your undergraduate degree.

As a student of this programme you'll have the opportunity to use reflection on creative and critical theory to initiate and develop an area of interest into a supervised research project within a domain of practice.

In your first year of study you will develop knowledge in core business strategies including accounting, business communication, commercial law, business heritage, culture and sustainability, marketing, computing, management and applied research.

In your second and third years the focus is on business transformation and change - you will be able to recognise where and when change is required and how to implement plans and monitor the change process. You will study:

• Organisational Behaviour - Investigates the impact that individuals, groups, and structures have on staff behaviour.
• Principles of Leadership - Builds personal capabilities with an understanding of effective leadership concepts and principles.
• Project Management - Learn to create and use project plans using MS Project®.
• Business Transformation and Change - Aligns business strategy, culture and management capability with the need for efficient transitions.
• Strategic Management - Explores organisational effectiveness with well-structured strategic goals, plans and actions.

You will explore the best methods for optimising supply chain relationships and the logistics of production, including considerations from an engineering perspective.Core studies include the essentials of project management, product development, operations management and resource integration management. We also introduce you to other relevant topics including industrial relations, human resources and finance and management accounting.

Human resource management requires a combination of knowledge and people skills. This programme will give you an understanding of both as you cover everything from employment relations and human resource management to communication and organisational behaviour management.

It covers business basics such as communication, human resources, business law, organisational culture, economics, risk management and problem solving, then focuses on human resource aspects of business.

In the first year of study you will develop knowledge in core business strategies including accounting, business communication, commercial law, business heritage, culture and sustainability, marketing, computing, management and applied research.

You will focus on your accounting specialisation in the second and third years, with study preparing you for an accounting position. Core subjects include:

• Intermediate Financial Accounting - details the regulatory and technical aspects of accounting as well as external reporting and evaluating techniques.
• Intermediate Management Accounting - covers the processes and information required for effective planning, control and decision making.
• Taxation in New Zealand - applies knowledge of taxation rules and compliance.
• Advanced Financial Accounting - prepares financial statements to ensure compliance with generally accepted accounting practice.
• Advanced Management Accounting - examines sourcing and evaluating accounting information related to organisational success.