Vocational Education Reform
Your voice is critical
What is happening to industry training?
The government has released a proposal to reform industry training - and this affects you.
The proposed changes include:
A polytech mega-merger
All polytechs will be replaced by a new nationwide organisation: The New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology.
New polytech system
The new national polytech will be responsible for delivering all training, including on-the-job learning in the workplace and off-the-job learning in the classroom.
No ITO support
Industry-owned ITOs (like Competenz) will no longer exist - they will no longer arrange training or support the learning and assessment of apprentices and trainees in the workplace.
What does this mean for you?
Your involvement in industry training is critical. Employers ensure that workplace learning is relevant and immediately applied to business needs. The proposed changes would mean:
Centralised training
Industry training will be centralised with a national institution.
Level of influence reduced
Your ability to influence and control how workplace training occurs and how it fits your business needs will be reduced.
No ITO support
ITOs will cease to exist and new organisations called Industry Skills Bodies (ISBs) will be formed. They will set standards, moderate assessments and contribute to developing qualifications.
Your voice is critical
We have until 27 March to provide feedback to the government. The proposed changes impact 145,000 trainees and apprentices at 25,000 businesses across New Zealand. Combined we are a large voice.
Three ways you can make your voice heard:
We also encourage you to meet with your local MP. All MPs are listed here.