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North Coast Polytechnic
| North Coast Polytechnic | |
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| Motto: | Learn and Be Free |
| Established: | 2043 |
| Principal: | John Tan |
| Vice-Principal: | Lisa Donaldson |
| Students: | Diploma: 25,000 Adv Diploma: 10,000 |
| Staff: | Teaching: 800 Ancillary: 1000 |
North Coast Polytechnic is one of the five tertiary institutions in New England. The college is the largest of New England's four polytechnics and is sometimes known as North by students and others associated with the institution.
The college was established as Southern Cross Institute of Technology in 2014 as part of the Tertiary Education Act. In 2036, an amendment to the Act led to the separation of the institute into two new colleges, Fitzroyshire and Hastings, with Fitzroyshire being seen as the legal successor to Southern Cross. Based in Coffs Harbour, the college has grown to include campuses in Grafton, Guyra and Tenterfield.
- Campuses
- Schools & Departments
- Notable Alumni
- History
Campuses
The college is spread out over a large geographical area with campuses in Coffs Harbour, Grafton, Bellingen, Macksville and Tenterfield. There are also smaller access centres located in Maclean, Woolgoolga and Dorrigo.
Schools & Departments
The college is divided into seven schools, each headed by a Head Teacher. These schools are further subdivided into departments, which manage individual or like disciplines. The schools are:
- School of Agriculture
- School of Automotive Technology
- School of Building and Construction
- School of Education
- School of Hospitality
- School of Information Technology
- School of Nursing
Notable Alumni
The college boasts a number of notable alumni who have gone on to make significant contributions in their fields of endeavour. These include:
- First Ministers: Cassandra Yee
- Political Leaders: Jill Banks
- Earls of the Counties: Simon Ascot, Ed Jackson, Edgar Yelland
History
The site of the polytechnic was originally the Coffs Harbour Education Campus, which was founded in the late 1980s. It became part of Southern Cross University in 1993, and was a major campus in that institution. The campus was closed in 2009 as the Civil War escalated making study impossible. In 2014, the campus reopened as the main base of the new Southern Cross Polytechnic.
In 2043, the new Tertiary Education Act split Southern Cross into two new colleges, and Fitzroyshire Polytechnic came into being. It inherited the assets and campuses of Southern Cross in Raleigh, Fitzroyshire and Clarence counties. In 2046, a new campus was opened in Tenterfield after an agreement with Earl Page Polytechnic led to Fitzroyshire being allowed to function in Parkes county which until then had had no tertiary institutions at all.
Education in New England
Primary & Secondary: State Schools · Grammar Schools · Private Schools
Tertiary: Earle Page Polytechnic · Fitzroyshire Polytechnic · Hastings Polytechnic · New England National University
