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As a new mum wanting to pursue higher education while remaining in work, Jasmine Jones found that Capable NZ ticked all the boxes. She matched her current role as an adult educator in prisons for the last three years with a Graduate Diploma in Tertiary Education. Through her study she has been able to critically analyse her practice and reflect on the day-to-day challenges of working within a correctional environment. Significantly for Jasmine, she is now able to articulate the place that Matauranga Maori has in guiding the way she supports society's most vulnerable people to find empowerment through education.

With a passion for learning, Dinesh Budhathoki jumped at the chance to build on his existing diploma while remaining in his role as a civil engineer. Capable NZ allowed him to gain a degree based on his prior learning as well as his work experience. He says he liked the independence and flexibility offered by Capable NZ. He has now graduated as a professionally qualified Civil Engineer and both he and his workplace, Beca, are benefitting. His new qualification will help him achieve his next goal - a promotion to a senior civil engineering role within the company.

When Sean Bridge made the leap from qualified mechanic to a corporate role at ACC, upskilling was always on the cards. A few years into the role, he swallowed his doubts about returning to study and enrolled through Capable NZ. The time frame for completing a qualification was a huge attraction, along with the fact he could continue working full-time and combine study with his job through work-based learning. He now runs two national injury prevention programmes for ACC. His manager says: “We chose him for his potential, but he clearly needed development. He has exceeded expectations."

Despite a solid thirty-year career at St John, it took a lot of convincing for Shirley Kerr to embark on a degree. After struggling at school, she thought she didn’t have the skills and the knowledge to study at tertiary level. However, as colleagues pointed out, she was actually doing a lot of things in her role that graduates do. Shirley found the degree process through Capable NZ “challenging, scary, fantastic and so self-fulfilling". Her success has given her renewed confidence in herself and in her role at St John.

Moving from one country to another is an exciting journey, but it can be challenging to adapt to new professional and educational contexts, says Interior Architect and teacher Leana Scheffer. “Adapting to a new country’s expectations was daunting, especially as I was teaching and learning remotely due to Covid travel restrictions,” says Leana. The Graduate Diploma in Tertiary Education studied via Capable NZ’s Independent Learning Pathway (ILP) skilfully guided Leana’s transition from a South African to New Zealand teaching practice context.