Common ground for Education and Business
Otago Polytechnic’s newest venture ‘The Common Room’ opens this week on the corner of Bath and George Streets in Central Dunedin.
The business and education centre is designed to extend the services provided by the Polytechnic’s Community Learning Centres, in order to improve the experience of students and provide a greater range of facilities to the public and commercial sector.
The Community Learning Centre, formerly located in the Savoy building, moves into the premises where the facilitation team will continue to deliver a unique range of self-paced education programmes including qualifications in business administration and computing, and courses in areas ranging from digital photography to the use of Trade-Me and Facebook.
The Common Room will also offer internet and computing facilities to the general public.
In addition, the mezzanine level of the building has been transformed into a second computer suite and ‘board room’ which will, in time, offer video conferencing facilities. The coffee counter will be expanded to serve a greater range of quality food and drinks.
“We believe that we can meet the real need in the centre of Dunedin for business sercies,” explains Common Room Team Leader Joy Atkinson, who is also investigating initiating a wi-fi service in central Dunedin. “Our board-room will be available for hire and coupled with video-conferencing, excellent coffee and wi-fi will work well for small seminars and training courses.”
“We see The Common Room as an ‘embassy’ for Otago Polytechnic in the middle of town. In addition to offering our own programmes we will be able to supply information regarding the Polytechnic’s full range of programmes. We will also liaise with other learning institutions to enable the delivery of a wider range of business programmes through our facilities.”
It is expected that the Polytechnic itself will make good use of the board room, however the local businesses and agencies approached have indicated a strong interest in using the facilities Atkinson adds.
The official opening of The Common Room takes place on Thursday evening, 28 May.
22/05/09