Sustainability at the forefront of Education New Zealand's new partnership with FutureLearn

WELLINGTON, New Zealand, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As the world moves online, international learners are taking up new opportunities to get a taste of what countries, like New Zealand, have to offer.  

Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ), and FutureLearn, have announced a new partnership to bring a curated selection of online courses from more than 15 quality New Zealand education providers to global learners.

FutureLearn is a social learning platform that offers online courses from over 250 education and industry partners to over 15 million learners across the world.     

ENZ is partnering with FutureLearn and New Zealand education providers to showcase quality short-courses, many of which are focused on sustainability – something that students and prospective employers are increasingly seeing as both a challenge and an opportunity.

General Manager ENZ Partnerships and Marketing, Paul Irwin, said while the partnership has proven particularly timely given the impact of COVID-19 on travel, ENZ has been committed to providing a more diverse range of study options, for some time.

"We want to help bring a New Zealand education to people in new places, and in new ways, as a complement to in-country study. COVID-19 has certainly accelerated the need for this," Irwin said. 

"We also see this as a chance to understand interest in study relating to global causes in which New Zealand has expertise, and is either a thought leader or offers a unique perspective."

Research identifies sustainability as an increasingly important factor in students' choice of study.

The New Zealand courses on offer will include options for both learners and teachers across areas such as sustainable agriculture, English language for sustainability, and growing a sustainable workforce.

"New Zealand education has a reputation for its future focus, and has topped rankings for English speaking countries," Irwin said.

"We see an important role for international education in helping share knowledge and build capability, to help equip learners to adapt, and tackle some of the big issues facing this generation, such as climate change, water quality, and diversity, equity and inclusion."

New Zealand's offerings include short courses from universities, English language schools, vocational/Institutes of Technology, EdTech educators (including virtual reality developers and game designers) and specialist providers such as Media Design School.

"We are delighted to partner with ENZ and such a great selection of New Zealand education providers to help break down geographical barriers and educate more learners about urgent global issues," Chief Content and Partnerships Officer, FutureLearn, Justin Cooke, said.

"Widening the reach of New Zealand's education establishments will help bring more world-class teaching to our millions of learners worldwide, something which is central to our mission here at FutureLearn," Cooke said.

The length of the courses on offer via the FutureLearn.com platform are normally 6-8 hours of learning. Learners can access the courses for free, choose to pay to upgrade to receive a digital certificate and longer access to course materials, or subscribe to FutureLearn Unlimited to get unlimited access to short courses available for upgrades for one year.

See more here https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/collections/study-new-zealand

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