Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury’s (UC) online learning division, Tuihono UC | UC Online, collaborated with Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency to co-design and deliver a bespoke micro-credential programme in project management, designed to build confidence and capability across the agency’s teams.
Embedding te ao Māori and real-world learning
The course was developed through a collaborative process involving learning and development leads, subject matter experts, and UC’s course development team, with input from cultural experts to embed relevant aspects of te ao Māori.
Principal Planner at Waka Kotahi, Letitcia Jarrett, took the new course and really enjoyed the real-life work examples. “Our lecturer knew our business and provided examples we could refer to,” she says.
Learning that supports reflection and mentorship
“What I found great was being able to piece together how project management works based on how I experienced it and my day-to-day role over the last seven years – it made it a lot more tangible.
“It felt like I was learning from a leader in the organisation, rather than an external person.”
Jarrett says her experience led her to regularly adapt how she reflected and engaged with environmental planners—prompting them to think differently, ask tougher questions, and tailor their advice to each project stage. It’s encouraged her to take on more of a mentoring role and support better practice.
Micro-Credentials add flexibility and credibility
She says she enjoyed the course because it was backed by the organisation, giving her confidence in the relevance of the processes she was learning. She valued earning micro-credentials from a university, saying it added credibility.
“The course was taught over three hours a week in bite-sized packages that fit into my week, all while managing a work-life balance in a busy professional setting.”
Workforce training scales across the organisation
So far, over 50 people from within Waka Kotahi participated in the course. Michelle Crutchley, Learning and Organisational Development Lead at Waka Kotahi, says, the team sought a development opportunity that would enhance their project management capability in a credible and manageable way, while also offering formal assessment of skills and knowledge.
“We appreciate UC’s willingness to collaborate with us and the flexible delivery.”
Public course and Master’s programme expand accessBuilding on the success of the tailored programme, Tuihono UC | UC Online has launched a public version, Professional Project Management, which opened in January 2024 and quickly became one of its most popular offerings. As a result, UC Online will be offering a Master of Project Management as well as a Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma from late September this year.
