SIT enrolments on the increase

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the Southern Institute of Technology has increased the number of enrolments from the previous year.

SIT’s overall enrolments across all campuses including its online service SIT2LRN were at 3853 full-time equivalent students as of May 18 this year an increase of more than 100 students from the previous year.

SIT had 3745 full-time equivalent students as of May 19 last year.

International numbers also increased from 610 to 670 full-time equivalent students.

However, the tertiary provider was below its target of more than 5000 enrolments for the year.

Its Telford campus saw almost double the number of enrolments, while its Invercargill campus decreased by more than a 100 students.

Both Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand (MAINZ) campuses in Auckland and Christchurch owned by SIT also decreased.

It was announced last year that MAINZ’s bachelor of audio engineering production courses would be removed from its Auckland campus.

SIT chief executive Penny Simmonds said the overall increase from the previous year was because it had been able to provide distance learning.

SIT2LRN enrolments had increased from 1121 students last May, to 1309 this year.

Distance learning was continuing to grow and expected they could reach their targets for the year, Simmonds said.

Whether SIT could reach enrolment targets for semester two would be dependent on the number of redundancies and if people had thought about retraining, she said.

SIT were considering on putting on further strands for programmes if there was further demand, she said.

Southern Institute of Technology limited held its first meeting under its New Zealand Institute of Technology last week.