How many times have you wondered about the marvellous special effects and the picturesque landscape of New Zealand while watching the LOTR series (The Lord of The Rings for the uninitiated)?

Well, the Education New Zealand (ENZ) fair held on Sunday in Chennai could give you an idea of how to end up on the sets of the next Peter Jackson saga. ENZ is conducting a series of interactive sessions in India with representatives from the top institutes in the country. The concluding session will be held at Lalit Hotel in New Delhi on August 30.

Juan Castano of Media Design School, New Zealand, explained that among other courses offered by the institute, the Bachelor of Art and Design was the most popular course and as a part of class projects, students get to work with Weta Digital (which worked on the LOTRfilms), Sony Entertainment, Pixar and other companies on live projects. "Since our graduates are job-ready, they even end up as employees in these companies," claimed Castano.

The phrase "job-ready" seems to be the buzz word at the fair. When asked what gives the Management courses offered at AUT University an upper hand over the ones offered by the premier Indian institutes, Pamela Miller-Staggers, International Marketing Manager of the university, said: Our graduates are ready for employment the moment they graduate because throughout the curriculum they are exposed to the dynamics and demand of the global industry. As part of class projects they have to work with global firms, which are also their prospective employers.

The figures support her claims, as 38 per cent of the 11,984 Indian students in New Zealand in 2013 were in Management studies.

Waikato Management School’s Manpreet Kaur highlights the institute’s tie-up with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) which gives the students an access to global PwC vacancies and assistance from PwC to secure jobs with their clients in New Zealand.

She points out that Masters of Professional Management (MPM), Masters of Business Management (MBM) and Masters of Professional Accounting (MPA) are the popular courses. Chartered Accountants usually go for an MPA to upgrade their qualification, she added.

The fees for the MBM programme (12-month course) amounts to NZ$ 29,900. The institute also offers two scholarships to cover a part of the living cost for students who get the highest grades six months into the course.

According to Ziena Jalil, Regional Director, ENZ, the average fees per year stand at NZ$25,000 while living costs may further cost students NZ$15,000.

“However, students can avail of visa permits to work part-time while studying to cover a part of their living costs. They also have an opportunity to secure scholarships offered by the government of New Zealand and the universities,” says Jalil.

Sports Management

New Zealand has also launched a dedicated scholarship, New Zealand-India Sports Scholarships (NZISS), for 15 students opting for sports management. “The NZISS will bear the tuition and living costs for the first year of the course,” said Jalil. “With the IPL, the football league and now the kabaddi league, our sports-related courses which offer certificate, diploma, UG and PG programmes in Sport and Exercise, Sport and Recreation, Outdoor Recreation Leadership will help students wanting to pursue a career in sports back home,” asserted Jalil.

Alfred David, an applicant in the sports management category, said, “While sports management courses are popular in the UK and Germany, New Zealand becomes an attractive destination for its scholarships and reasonable living costs. Also, the option of working while studying and getting a job in New Zealand itself after graduating is a bonus.”

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