For the first time, the University of Otago will offer two qualifications in the resort town — a bachelor of entrepreneurship, in partnership with Queenstown Resort College (QRC), and a masters in digital technology, in association with not-for-profit Technology Queenstown.
In the case of the former, QRC’s level 6 diploma graduates will be able to move directly into the bachelor programme and complete the degree over three additional semesters at the QRC campus.
The masters will be a one-year programme about foundational virtual technologies — cyber, data and AI.
Palo Alto Networks would be co-developing and delivering programmes related to cyber-security, while University of Otago’s Queenstown establishment director Prof Richard Barker said other partners would be announced soon.
Speaking at last week’s Otago Tourism Policy School in the resort, organised by the university, Prof Barker said the aim was to use partnerships to leverage what was special about the region and create educational programmes that were both transformational and ‘‘globally attractive’’.
‘‘We’re starting from the premise that Queenstown is a global gathering place of talent and capital — there’s phenomenal talent already residing in this region.
‘‘The important thing is that [the programmes are] able to command a premium in the global marketplace, because this premium is needed to provide the economic heft to operate in an expansive place, such as Queenstown.’’
By partnering with global technology companies, he said, the university would work with them in both developing and delivering curricula, while it would also partner with local technology companies to provide case studies for students, giving them access to the ‘‘cutting edge of these technologies’’.
The companies would play a direct role in workforce development, while their staff would also spend time with educators.
‘‘Our plan in all of this is not really to teach foundational technology skills,’’ Prof Barker said.
‘‘While [students are] with us, we’re going to have them working on solving real problems, global problems, and developing the human-centred leadership skills that are going to be needed to govern and manage advanced technologies.’’
The future would be about a small number of people building the technology, with the vast majority of the workforce working with it and managing teams deploying it, he said.
‘‘And that’s why we want to focus on [developing] future leaders who are able to navigate ... the technology that’s coming out, that’s beyond our imagination today and to work on global problems, some of which we’re not even aware of at this point.’’
In a statement earlier this month, university vice-chancellor Grant Robertson said they would start small, anticipating 50 or 60 students to enrol, but hoped to build accommodation for about 500 students by 2030.
Prof Barker said the university believed there was sufficient housing capacity within the existing market for next year’s pilot programme.
QRC, for example, already had student accommodation with capacity for about 250, while Prof Barker told delegates at the policy school there was also a ‘‘huge amount of housing’’ planned.
That included significant residential developments at Homestead Bay, near Jacks Point, which recently gained fast-track approval and Ladies Mile.
The university also hoped not to add to the number of people coming into the region, ‘‘but to change who comes’’.
‘‘Tourists are always going to want to come here.
‘‘People are always going to want to come and live here.
‘‘A big part of our vision is for the university to build a campus in the Queenstown area that’s a global drawcard, while also creating opportunities for our local students and to be a key element of a developing technology sector.’’
