Submission on the Reform of Vocational Education
Download our full submission here
Summary
We support:
• strengthened industry standard setting and skills leadership;
• consistent delivery and adherence to industry standards across the vocational
system;
• financial stabilisation of publicly funded vocational education providers; and
• consolidated funding rates for on-job and off-job training.
We do not support:
• transferring responsibility for workplace training and apprenticeships to vocational education providers.
We believe:
• the government’s vision of a more integrated and coherent vocational sector is fully achievable through building on the strengths of industry-led training and apprenticeships; and
• this proposal does not provide a compelling case that the proposed system structure will be more sustainable for the Crown or better meet New Zealand’s skills needs – the ultimate purpose of any vocational education and training system.
We also submit:
• that stakeholders have not been provided sufficient opportunity to provide input in a reasonable timeframe;
• that the discussion document does not provide sufficient detail of the costs and benefits of the proposed changes to enable them to be meaningfully evaluated;
• that it would be reckless of the government to pursue these changes without a better sense of the costs of transition, potential disruption, and risks; and
• failure to consider these factors properly and get it right could be devastating for New Zealand’s workforce development at a time of acute skills shortages.
Our advice:
1. Strengthen Industry Training Organisations (ITOs) through mandating and resourcing skills leadership, and enforcing the use of industry standards. Rename them Industry Skills Bodies (ISBs) if you wish, and add and amend ISBs through industry-led application for recognition.
2. Continue to have ITOs (or ISBs) arrange training. This is to retain existing expertise, capability, and relationships, particularly with employers already in the ITO system.
3. Reconfigure the ITPs as the first step of any reform.
4. Implement proposal three, establishing consistent funding rates for provision across the sector.
5. Introduce an employer incentive scheme to encourage many more employers to join the system and offer formal traineeships and apprenticeships.
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