Lincoln University is endeavouring to meet the need of the thriving food and fibre sector for skilled and qualified workers by waiving tuition fees on a number of postgraduate courses which feed into it.

The move also boosts retraining options for those who might have suffered job losses due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The essentially free course offering includes taught master’s degrees in areas such as agricultural systems, food innovation, pest management, accounting, and sport and recreation management, as well as graduate and postgraduate certificates and diplomas in applied science, environmental management and commerce (and many more), all offered from Semester 2 in July.

They range from one to three semesters long, include online options, and are only available to domestic students.

Lincoln, as a specialised land-based university, has a long connection to the food and fibre sector, conducting valuable research and growing qualified work-ready graduates, as well as promoting sustainable initiatives.

Over 350,000 New Zealanders work in the food and fibre sector, which includes agriculture, horticulture and viticulture, as well as agribusiness. It contributes over 11% of New Zealand’s GDP, and has an increasing need for skilled and qualified workers.

Lincoln University Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Bruce McKenzie, said the university was well connected to industry, and aware of the need the primary sector had for the graduates Lincoln produced to keep driving the New Zealand economy, and this was particularly important in the wake of COVID-19, with other industries under pressure.

“We want to do all we can to meet that need, as well as offering people from other industries the chance to train for a new career. We have removed that barrier of cost, and are offering innovative courses in many different areas that add to the knowledge and qualifications they already have to make them very employable.”

The courses will be free until the end of 2021. The fee waiver does not include course costs or the student levy.

You can find out more about Lincoln University’s innovative offerings at www.lincoln.ac.nz, as well as the Lincoln University Virtual Open Day, Friday July 17, from 4pm to 7pm.