ACG Education is delighted to announce the appointment of Nigel Smith to the newly created position of Academic Operations Director to oversee ACG Pathway’s English language provision and develop the University Pathways market.
An established educational leader, Mr Smith started his career as a secondary school teacher in New Zealand and abroad. He transitioned to leadership roles in tertiary education, specialising in research management at AUT University, and was co-principal at private tertiary institute Laidlaw College.
Most recently he has been assistant principal at ACG Pathways.
Mr Smith will lead the group’s two English Language providers – The Campbell Institute and ACG English School. He said ensuring they maintain their reputation as high-quality providers of English language courses in New Zealand will be a key focus.
“We want to provide the product that others benchmark against,” he said. “There is and always will be strong demand from many countries for quality education. If we’re confident about quality, we can be confident about the students who will come here.”
Mr Smith will also tap into his tertiary background to explore University Pathway options beyond the group’s current provision. He said enabling and supporting staff to do their jobs well would be key to success.
“I’m interested in understanding and leading in educational settings and I will be working to articulate the positions we need to allow us to flourish,” he said. “We have outstanding people at ACG. I want to ensure we’re making the best use of their specialist skills to provide outstanding outcomes for our students.”
The Campbell Institute is a Category 1 New Zealand English language school, and the only English language school in New Zealand formally accredited by Victoria University of Wellington. It has campuses in Wellington and Auckland.
ACG English School is one of New Zealand’s leading language schools. It offers a clear pathway to Foundation Studies, preparing students for entry into New Zealand universities.
