Industry training reforms which impacted the automotive sector have been labelled a “failed experiment” by the Government as it consults industry on a replacement.
In August 2019, the previous government announced it would be merging 16 polytechnics around the country into one national entity in one of the biggest training shakeups in decades.
Automotive and transport training provider MITO was among training organisation to transition to Te Pūkenga Work Based Learning.
This meant MITO was among polytechnics that merged into a national entity which administered all students, apprentices and industry trainees.
“After four years and hundreds of millions of wasted taxpayer dollars, the previous government’s Te Pūkenga mega-merger has been nothing but an abject disaster,” Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds says.
“Not only is it a financial mess, drowning in debt of over $250 million while carrying a bloated, centralised bureaucracy, but it has failed spectacularly in its aim to provide quality, relevant learning to the regions.
“New Zealand needs a strong vocational education and training system with genuine regional control to ensure our people, industries, and communities can thrive. One that provides skills, knowledge and career pathways for learners into industries and professions that are vital to the economic prosperity of New Zealand,” Simmonds says.
Over the next six weeks, New Zealanders will be able to have their say on the proposed reform and what they want from their local polytechnics and industry training organisations.
Feedback is being sought on three parts of the system:
- A redesigned Institute of Technology and Polytechnic network that retains access to tertiary training in regions, through a combination of stand-alone and federated ITPs.
- Options for an industry-led system for standards-setting and industry training.
- Changes to vocational education funding from 2026 to better support the reformed system.
“The damage done in the past four years is significant and there is a lot of work ahead,” Simmonds says.
“We need to restore our polytechnics to their rightful place as anchors of learning opportunities for individuals, and as a regional development tool for communities and industries. Our industry training must be driven by, and for, industry.”
*Go to consultation.education.govt.nz for more information and to make a submission.
MITO consults industry
MITO and the Hang-Aro-Rau Workforce Development Council are hosting an industry forum on the Government’s proposed vocational education and training reforms 2024.
The online forum takes place on Monday, August 12, from 10 am to 12 pm. It will include a presentation from the Tertiary Education Commission on the proposed options, followed by a question and answer session. This forum will be accessible online via Teams (this link).
MITO will circulate a briefing document to assist with discussions at the forum. In the meantime, stakeholders are encouraged to review the Vocational Education and Training Reforms 2024 consultation document available on the Ministry of Education website.
MITO chief executive Verna Niao is encouraging industry representatives to attend the forum to hear more information on the proposed options for vocational education.
