28 January 2008 Regional growth always a spur for professional employment opportunities

Connections between regional growth and prosperity and employment opportunities for tertiary graduates are always strong, says Lincoln University alumnus Peter Flannery, Rural Manager for the National Bank in Invercargill.

"Southland is a case in point," says Peter, who is a Lincoln University commerce degree graduate.

"With the growth here of dairying, the increasing demand for agricultural services and products such as fertiliser, the boost that the carbon credits system will give to forestry, the future promise of oil prospecting, the presence of industries such as Comalco, the continuing expansion of tourism, and a good property market, both commercial and residential . . . all of these factors contribute to an on-going demand in Southland for professionally qualified personnel.

Lincoln University Liaison Officer Jaime Bowman, who looks after the link between the University and Southland secondary schools, agrees that a "positive feel" in Southland makes the climate right for school-leavers and others to think seriously about investing in tertiary qualifications.

"Lincoln University's career-focussed qualifications such as the suite of Bachelor of Commerce degrees with specialisations in areas such as Valuation and Property Management, Agriculture, Food Industry, and Transport and Logistics, along with other degrees such as the Bachelor of Tourism Management, are well recognised for setting graduates on pathways to satisfying careers," she says.

For school leavers and others interested in working in the property industry, Lincoln University's Bachelor of Commerce (Valuation and Property Management) degree is well regarded as a career-linked qualification.

It is a three-year degree that shares five core commerce subjects with all the University's other commerce degrees.

To this are added a minimum of eight specific property subjects, and the remaining 11 subjects in the 24-subject degree can be a combination of further specialist subjects and/or electives chosen from other Lincoln undergraduate programmes.

Students must also complete 12 weeks of practical work experience.

For further details on Lincoln University's BCom(VP&M) degree see www.lincoln.ac.nz or phone 0800106010.