Having worked at EIT for the last 11 years, Frina Albertyn had only to move a short distance across campus to take up her new role as Head of School Business.  

She previously worked in the School of Computing at EIT. 

With a work history long and strong on roles in computer programming, system analysis and tertiary education, she says she had to turn off the computer switch and turn on the business switch.

Some months into the job, she’s finding it’s keeping her very busy indeed. 

“I haven’t had a dull moment,” she says, with a warm smile. “Even with my background knowledge of EIT’s systems, I’ve found it stimulating keeping up with everything.  Every minute of the day is full on, and I enjoy that there is so much happening.”

Among the more significant happenings, EIT is exploring the possibility of offering its Bachelor of Business Systems (Accounting) on the Tairāwhiti campus in Gisborne. 

EIT and Tairāwhiti Polytechnic officially merged on January 1, and the School of Business – like other learning areas – is in the process of aligning the different programmes.  Already there have been some discussions and indications of “substantial interest” in a business degree offering at Tairāwhiti.

“Students doing the New Zealand Diploma in Business through Tairāwhiti are quite interested in being able to staircase to a potential degree offering,” Dr Albertyn says.  “This could involve blended learning with video conferences and online courses – it could have a bit of everything.”

EIT is inviting input from businesses keen to be part of the process, and it is also planning extensive consultation and collaboration with local advisory committees in Hawke’s Bay as well as Tairāwhiti.

Although she found it a little sad moving away from the School of Computing’s “great bunch of people”, Dr Albertyn is enjoying working with different staff, different disciplines and at different levels of teaching – from certificate through to diploma and degree programmes. 

She’s also delighted that degree staff are involved with research.  As an example of that, senior lecturer Dr Ram Roy did an industry research project with Venture Hawke’s Bay on supply chain mapping last year.

Other research work includes a pilot study by senior lecturers Donna Petry and Janet Turvey who are investigating whether diploma students are learning to think like economists and lecturer Dr Djavlonbek Kadirov’s exploration of symbolic meanings in marketing systems. 

“I am finding the people here make up a highly focused and professional team,” Dr Albertyn says. “In all areas – financial, accounting, taxation, marketing, operational and human resource management and information systems – there are highly qualified staff and strong links to industry.”

Those connections are being revisited following the disbanding of the single advisory group for EIT’s business and computing schools.  A new School of Business advisory committee will meet for the first time in May, and in the lead-in to that “we are busy identifying industry partners who can help us and provide information to improve our offerings.”

An interesting programme included in Dr Albertyn’s area of responsibilities is the Diploma in Aviation, taught at the Bridge Pa airfield.  The Diploma in Aviation is delivered by EIT in conjunction with Air Hawke’s Bay Ltd, a full-time and professional pilot training division and a wholly owned subsidiary company of the Hawke’s Bay and East Coast Aero Club In. 

“One of my first jobs was to go to Bridge Pa and take part in orientation for those starting the programme.  The 12 students — about the norm for each intake – have embarked on a two-year diploma and having completed that, they are given the option of doing a further year to achieve a Diploma in Advanced Aviation.

At the time of this interview, Dr Albertyn was preparing to fly to Gisborne in a single-engine Cessna 172 with an appropriately qualified student at the controls.

South-African born, she firmly believes attitude is all important in making life’s big transitions. “You need to go full out,” she says. “It’s not about leaving a little bit behind you.” Although she was talking about the move from her homeland, her comment could equally apply to her new role at EIT.