ATC New Zealand celebrates 30 years   20 Oct 2014

MEDIA RELEASE

For Immediate Release

20 October 2014

ATC New Zealand celebrates 30 years

Hamilton-based Private Training Establishment (PTE) ATC New Zealand is celebrating a successful history and a promising future as it steps into its 30th year this year.

ATC New Zealand was born in 1984 out of Hamilton Apostolic Church’s (now Eastside Church) fervent desire to become more involved with the local Hamilton community.

With this dream in mind the Hamilton Apostolic Trust was formed; and one gardening course, run by one person, with minimal resources, was established.

Thirty years later ATC New Zealand is a registered charitable company boasting four divisions, 170 staff, campuses in three parts of the country, and tens of thousands of graduates.

The strength of leadership behind the company leaves little question as to its continuing success. Chief executive officer Trevor Wilson has been with ATC in various capacity since day one and there has been huge contribution from very clever and committed leaders over the years.

“ATC New Zealand began as a little church’s dream. The Pastor at the time, Phil Underwood, and others from the church wanted to do something that made a big impact in the community,” he said.

“Thirty years later, the dream has way surpassed what we originally foresaw. But the heart behind it is still the same: Changing Lives through Learning.”

Today ATC New Zealand is one of the larger PTEs in the country. Its four divisions are Vision College, TrainMe, Instant, and Leadership Development New Zealand. Campuses span into Christchurch, Auckland and Pukekohe.

“Instant designs, writes and sells educational curriculum to over 85 per cent of the country’s High Schools and an increasing number of Tertiary Colleges and Institutions,” Trevor said.

“Trainme offers Employment focused trades training for Youth and Adults, Alternative Education for High Schoolers and Employment Skills Training to hundreds of people.

“Vision College is our higher education division, delivering Certificate, Diploma and Degree level qualifications.

“Lastly, Leadership Development New Zealand offers professional development courses to Companies around NZ with the objective of lifting the organisations’ performance.”

And to grow to the size it is today, ATC has achieved an impressive total of nine business acquisitions.

“It’s always been about the people for us. One company was going into liquidation, and our acquisition meant that we were instrumental in helping international students to continue their education,” Trevor said

The Christian heritage of the organisation remains a foundational thread within the company.

“I guess a comparable model is that of a Christian school. As such, these schools are well-respected and attended by mainstream community, with an underlying and uncompromising Christian value system,” he said.

“We offer a mix of both mainstream and Christian courses. The idea being as it was in the beginning – to let our Christian passion for people-development spill out into education,” he said.

One of Trevor’s key ambitions is to shatter a perception that PTE’s are “all about making the money.”

“We remain here to serve the community. ATC is about lifting people to heights they can scarcely believe for themselves. Educating people and bringing them through to productivity is a true honour,” he said.

When asked what the organisation’s top achievements are, Trevor highlights its highly committed people and continuous development to provide the best.

“Our staff are amazing as they pour of their best into students’ lives. Hundreds of stories can be told of people in significant positions today who started at ATC with low personal expectation of achievement. This is so rewarding.

“It is very challenging to survive and grow through constant change in the tertiary market. What we are achieving today is a far cry from simple low-level education.

“Financial viability is difficult in our environment. We invest more into the ongoing development of quality resources now than ever before, because of the increasing demands of the industry,” he said.

“This produces exciting outcomes for students and creates hope for successful careers.’

So with 30 years behind it, what does the future hold for ATC?

“When the company began, we wondered year by year if we could meet the demands presented for the next year. Year by year, amazing staff found solutions to not just survive but to excel. I stop to reflect on this organisation’s history and I am humbled to still be a part of it.

“In our wildest dreams, I think about many of world’s great Universities like Harvard, Stanford and others that were born out of a local church dream. Maybe, just maybe, ATC can continue developing to become a New Zealand version of these inspiring and famous Institutions.

“Our 30 years may be a long-way short of some who have hundreds of years of experience. However, with the key inspiration provided by other great organisations we will continue to grow and continue to change lives through education.

ATC is celebrating its 30 year anniversary with an Open Day on Sunday 19 October from 12:30pm to 2:30pm. The event is open to the public with fun and celebration for all the family. Also, marking another milestone, a new Music School building on the Ruakura Rd campus will be officially opened at 1:30pm.

-ENDS-

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