Posted on 29 October 2026
Our StaffCheralyn Sorrell, Academic Staff Member and Course Leader for a range of courses in the Bachelor of Applied Management, Bachelor of Business and NZ Diploma in Business brings a unique perspective to her role at Open Polytechnic.
Cheralyn recently completed a Master of Applied Management, complementing her existing qualifications, Bachelor of Business (Honours) and Postgraduate Certificate in Education.
She knows and appreciates what it is like to be an ākonga (learner) and is committed to lifelong learning.
“The most rewarding aspect of working as an academic staff member, and particularly in my interactions with learners, is witnessing the exact moment theory clicks into practice,” she explains.
According to Cheralyn, distance and online learning attract resilient, ambitious adults who are often balancing careers, families, and communities.
Their ability to manage competing priorities while continuing to learn demonstrates the adaptability, initiative, and perseverance employers value.
“Seeing a student take a complex business concept, apply it directly to their own workplace or entrepreneurial venture, and experience a tangible breakthrough is incredibly fulfilling,” she says.
“It's that defining moment when they feel they can't - yet they do, and they did - giving them genuine confidence in their developing abilities.”
Cheralyn loves guiding ākonga to build not just academic competence, but the deep-seated professional confidence to stand their ground and step up and that self-belief that they did something amazing.
“This is why I love what I do,” she exclaims.
As part of her Master of Applied Management, Cheralyn undertook research into whether Small to Medium Enterprises feel New Zealand employment laws are restrictive or supportive of their businesses.
She received an A+ for her final research project, called "NZ Employment Law: restrictive or supportive?".
This topic meant Cheralyn could utilise her extensive career spanning vocational education, lived applied business practice, and community leadership, all of it deeply rooted in supporting small and medium enterprises and empowering learners across Aotearoa New Zealand.
She also has experience in the electricity industry in the UK as both a leader and a union representative.
“What that gave my research was balance,” Cheralyn says.
“I was someone who had lived both sides of the employment relationship - the operational reality for a business and the human reality for the people working in it.”
“I feel that dual lens makes these findings credible with both audiences, and it is the same lens I now bring into my courses.”
Those findings have since been shared publicly; published in articles for industry publications like HRNZ and business chambers around NZ.
Cheralyn also values networking in the business community, working closely with organisations such as the Manawatū Business Chamber and others chambers around NZ - and more recently has been invited to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to share her findings.
Open Polytechnic’s business enterprise programmes are designed specifically to bridge the gap between academic theory and the ever-changing, fast-paced realities of modern business.
They offer flexible, practical pathways that allow working professionals to upskill without pausing their careers or their life and family commitments.
“Online learning provides immediate applications, so learners can take a tool or framework studied on Monday and apply it to their business or workplace on Tuesday,” Cheralyn says.
“Industry-aligned capability means the courses cultivate critical thinking, strategic problem-solving, and operational literacy.”
“Ākonga achieve empowerment through knowledge such as navigating employment relations, leadership, or business strategy. These programmes give graduates the competence and credibility to step into leadership roles, drive organisational change, or successfully launch and scale their own ventures.”
For Cheralyn, education is not a destination; it is a catalyst.
“Whether you are taking your first step into business studies or returning to formal learning to elevate your career, the journey you start here has the power to reshape not just your own future, but the communities and businesses you influence,” she concludes.