Around 700 people attended the graduation celebration of Bethlehem Tertiary Institute on Devonport Road today.

The annual graduation ceremony saw 115 people from BTI's range of Teacher Education and Counsellor Education programmes graduate and marking the institute's 20th anniversary as a tertiary provider.

Bethlehem Tertiary Institute celebrating its annual graduation. Photos: Daniel Hines.

Mayor Stuart Crosby, Hon Simon Bridges and other local dignitaries were at the graduation at Holy Trinity Anglican Church.

This was followed by a procession of students along Devonport Road towards Red Square.

BTI began as Bethlehem Teachers College 1993 with one full time lecturer and two part-time staff, 15 students, all onsite, in two teacher education programmes.

In 2013, BTI has 450 students throughout New Zealand, and also in Australia, Tonga and Thailand, 40 permanent staff and more than a dozen programmes across counselling, social work and all spheres of teacher education.