Exploring the Value of Higher Education to the Economy

  Thursday 11 July – Day 1: EMPLOYABILITY

MORNING

0800-0900

0900-1030

Session 1

Registration:  Auckland Business School, Area 071 Level 0 

Opening Ceremony

Chair: Ms Penny Fenwick, Executive Director, Universities New Zealand

Welcome to New Zealand: Professor Roy Crawford, Chair of Universities New Zealand and Vice-Chancellor, University of Waikato

Welcome from the ACU: Professor John Wood, Secretary General, The ACU

Keynote Address: Dr Andreas Schleicher, Special Advisor on Education Policy to the Secretary-General and Deputy Director, Directorate for Education and Skills, OECD
Topic: ‘Are universities fit for purpose?’

Developing the Theme:  Professor Roy Crawford, Chair of Universities New Zealand and Vice-Chancellor, University of Waikato
Topic:  'Are today's graduates employable?'

1030-1100

Refreshment break

1100-1230

Session 2

Plenary 1: ‘Graduate Employability’

Chair: Professor John Wood, Secretary General, The ACU

Speaker:  Hon Steven Joyce, Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment, New Zealand

Respondent: Professor Rajesh Chandra, Vice-Chancellor, University of the South Pacific

1230-1330

Lunch and networking

AFTERNOON

1330-1530

Session 3

Employability Workshop

Chair:  Ms Joyce Achampong, Director, External Engagement, The ACU

• Tai-Marie Yorston, Senior Career Education Advisor, Careers New Zealand: '"Marketable Identity" - the key to employability'

• Shaun Pulman, Career Development Consultant and Catherine Stephens, Career Development and Employment Services Manager, University of Auckland: "How can educators and employers assist students individually and collectively to build career management competencies, so that they can maximise the human capabilities of those who are entering the workplace?"

• Jane Fletcher, Victoria Plus Award Coordinator, and Liz Medford, Manager, Career Development and Employment, Victoria University of Wellington: "Victoria Plus Award - how students are connecting the employability dots"

1530-1600

Refreshment break

1600-1700

Session 4

Employability Panel

Chair:  Professor Sarath Amunugama, Vice-Chancellor, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

• Professor Adam Shoemaker, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education), Monash University, Australia
• Thamsanqa Maqubela, CEO of the South African Graduates Development Association (SAGDA)
• Mr Tim Watts, Director, GradConnetion, New Zealand and Chair, New Zealand Association of Graduate Employers (NZAGE) 

Friday 12 July – Day 2: VALUE

MORNING

0900-1030

Session 5

Plenary 2: ‘What is the value of graduates to the economy?’

Chair: Roger Smyth, Senior Manager, Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, New Zealand Ministry of Education

• Showcase 1: The Graduate Longitudinal Study New Zealand (GLSNZ)

     Presenter: Dr Karen Tustin, Post-doctoral Research Fellow, GLSNZ

• Showcase 2: The Talloires Network’s ‘Youth Economic Participation Initiative (YEPI)'

     Presenter: Ms Amy Newcomb Rowe, Program Manager, Talloires Network

1030-1100

Refreshment break

1100-1300

Session 6

'Value of Tertiary Education' Workshop

Chair: Jonathan Hughes, Principal Advisor, Universities New Zealand

• Roger Smyth, Senior Manager, Tertiary Sector Performance Analysis, New Zealand Ministry of Education: 'How much value is added by a person's tertiary education?'

• Sebastian Doelle, Analyst, The New Zealand Treasury: 'Private and public benefits to tertiary education - do current investment levels reflect the returns?'

• Professor Mark Brown, Director, National Centre for Teaching and Learning, Massey University: 'The value of distance education: burden or blessing?'

1300-1400

Lunch and networking

AFTERNOON

1400-1530

Session 7

Plenary 3: ‘Exploring the Value of Partnerships’

Chair: Pete Hodkinson, President, New Zealand Union of Students' Associations

Speaker 1: Kevin Palfreyman, External Relationships Liaison Manager, Research, Science, Technology & Development, Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited, New Zealand

Speaker 2: Martin Smith, Director, Graduate Career Development & Employability, University of Wollongong, Australia

Title: 'Partnerships to benefit students, universities, industry... and the nation'

1530-1600

Refreshment break

1600-1700

Session 8

'Value of Partnerships' Workshop

Chair:  Professor John Wood, Secretary General, The ACU

1.  Chris Bridgman, Careers, Internships and Employment Manager, University of Canterbury, and Liz Medford, Manager, Career Development and Employment, Victoria University of Wellington: 'NZUniCareerHub - an integrated approach to student and graduate employment' 

Jan Blair, Human Resources Coach, Russell McVeagh, and NZAGE Board Member

EVENING

Conference Dinner

Venue:                 Top of the Town
                             Pullman Hotel
                             Corner Waterloo Quadrant & Princes Street
                             Auckland

                             Tel:  +64 9 353 1000                             

1830                   Guests arrive for pre-dinner drinks

1900                   Guests sit for dinner

Saturday 13 July – Day 3: MOBILITY

MORNING

0930-1100

Session 9

Plenary 4: ‘Should there be greater mobility between the TVET and HE sectors and between employment and HE?’

Chair:  Dorothy Garland, Director, Professional Networks, The ACU

Speaker 1: Ms Vicki Thomson, Executive Director, Australian Technology Network of Universities (ATN)    

Speaker 2:  Dr Rick Ede, Chief Executive, Unitec Institute of Technology  

1100-1130

Refreshment break

1130-1230

Session 10

Closure: What have we learned? Where are we now? Where do we go from here?

Concluding Lunch