Unitec closes in Albany
A workforce demand for employees in construction, trade and property has not stopped New Zealand’s largest institute of technology, Unitec, closing its Albany campus.
Unitec’s Albany campus will be shut down at the end of 2016 due to low student enrolments, despite being dedicated to teaching the trades and real estate.
‘‘Auckland’s overall economic backdrop means there’s great demand from employers for construction, infrastructure and engineering graduates,’’ Unitec chief executive Dr Rick Ede says.
‘‘However, the current environment means more people are going straight into employment and jobs-based training.’’
E tu¯ director of organising Ged O’Connell says the closure reflects poorly on the government’s ability to facilitate industry training.
‘‘It’s a bit of an indictment we can’t get it together to train our own, and we end up having the situation like in Christchurch five years ago where $40 odd million dollars for trades training was put up by the government, but the granting of temporary work visas sky-rocketed,’’ O’Connell says.
Unitec said only 25 students will be affected by the leased Albany campus closure, with no staff expected to lose their jobs.
A 2016 Hays quarterly report found that construction, property, and trades were ’’hiring hotspots’’ in the New Zealand job market.