Graduate Diploma in Innovation and Entrepreneurship

at Ara Institute of Canterbury - City Campus New Zealand

This qualification replaces the National Diploma in Construction. If you’ve started but not yet completed the National Diploma, talk to us about cross crediting to the New Zealand Diploma. This two-year program will equip you with the essential skills and knowledge needed to work in construction management, on both residential and commercial building projects.

It covers the skills required at all stages of building projects, from conception to completion, with an emphasis on building technology, communication and health and safety. Other relevant vocational skills covered include planning, methodology and site management, procurement, programming and financial administration of contracts.

Core skills taught include design strategies, graphics, branding and communication, typography, art direction, drawing and illustration. In addition, students will choose three courses from a range of electives, which will enable them to develop complementary skills in particular areas of interest.

As well as studio courses, students will complete a group of core courses in academic subjects. These include both professional and contextual studies, which will give them developed communication skills, a background in the history and sociology of creative practices, insights into contemporary professional ethics and some business skills.

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.

This diploma is designed to enable you to scope, manage and lead projects. It covers business basics including accounting, sales and marketing, human resources and risk management, then focuses on project management.

You'll gain an understanding of project management principles and methods, and what project management tools are available. You'll also learn how to select, apply and support a broad range of current and emerging business technologies to meet a business's needs and how to apply this project management knowledge to real-life scenarios.

Nutrition is increasingly relevant in today's society due to its impact on the health of individuals, communities and populations. As people are starting to take more responsibility for their own health to prevent illness, they are faced with a confusing range of often conflicting nutrition information.

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.

Developed according to best practice approaches in clinical education and delivered utilising innovative teaching methods, the Bachelor of Musculoskeletal Health will equip you with the knowledge and skills required for employment in non-registered areas of health care and management. You'll start your studies by gaining foundational knowledge of musculoskeletal health and osteopathy and forming a basis for critical thinking. In year two, the emphasis is on evidence-based clinical practice and extending your bioscience knowledge. Your final year focuses almost entirely on the development of clinical practice learning, critical thinking and increasingly complex problem solving and decision-making.

Throughout the degree, clinical practice courses will give you industry experience by enabling you to apply your knowledge in real-world environments. You'll also have the opportunity to train with Ara students in other health care disciplines such as nursing, midwifery, medical imaging, social work, human nutrition, health promotion and sport and exercise science. This provides opportunities for inter-disciplinary learning, further enhancing your employment outcomes.

You will gain a solid grounding in engineering theory and principles of engineering science including design and drawing, electrical, electronics, networks, protection and programming. Working closely with professional engineers you will apply current and emerging technologies in new situations. Our courses are industry designed and during this program you will develop sound thinking and problem solving skills for work in designing and implementing engineering technology.

It is expected that graduates will attain the educational underpinnings and work ready attributes defined by the Engineering New Zealand Graduate Profile for Engineering Technicians.

IT industry partners have significant input into the structure and content of this programme to ensure that what is being taught continually meets industry needs. The first year covers a broad range of ICT topics that will provide you with a solid base of knowledge in software engineering (programming), hardware and networking, website development, IT tools and concepts and mathematics skills relevant to IT.

In years two and three you'll choose one of three specialist pathways: Information Systems, Networking and Infrastructure or Software Development. During this time you'll develop in-depth knowledge of your chosen area through a range of compulsory and elective courses.

You'll also develop skills in problem solving, critical thinking, analysis, team work, project management, time management, self-reliance and communication skills. There is a strong emphasis on practical skills and work-readiness, so wherever possible, theory is integrated and applied to practical tasks.

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.