Call for comment: Lets ensure that industry voice shapes vocational education!

The future of vocational education in Aotearoa is at a critical juncture, and your input could make all the difference.   

The Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills, Hon Penny Simmonds, has recently released consultation documentation outlining potential changes to the future of vocational education. Consultation closes 12 September 2024.   

The consultation document is available on the Ministry of Education website at: https://www.education.govt.nz/our-work/consultations/open-consultations/2024-vocational-education-and-training-reforms/  and you can email your submissions to: VocationalEducation.Reforms@education.govt.nz. 

The consultation document itself lacks a lot of detail and is difficult to understand, so to get the full picture, we highly recommend also checking out the Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS), which sheds more light on the changes. The RIS can be found here: https://assets.education.govt.nz/public/Documents/our-work/information-releases/Regulatory-Impact-Statement-Vocational-Education-and-Training-System-Redesign.pdf 

Our concerns 

At HERA, we’re concerned about the direction vocational education is heading – especially when it comes to our Workforce Development Councils (WDCs). 

In particular: 

• clarity on WDC’s role: the consultation document doesn’t explain or make clear why WDCs are being reformed. The rationale relating to Te Pūkenga is made clear but is notably missing for WDCs. In fact, the regulatory impact statement (RIS) supports a status quo for WDCs and recognises that no changes are needed.  

The inference is that the motivation is cost savings. So, our questions are: 

1. Why was a status quo option (with cost reductions derived from, for example, consolidation across WDCs) not included in the consultation process? 
2. What is the financial benefit of winding up WDCs and replacing with either of the two proposed options?

• Industry influence: the proposed options reduce the voice of industry and its influence in shaping vocational education and where TEC funding should be directed. We believe industry influence should be increasing, not shrinking. 
• Acknowledging industry needs: vocational education should be built on industry needs and acknowledged as its foundation. We’re concerned that even if there is a groundswell of support from our industries for the roles and functions of WDCs remaining within the system – they will not be fully heard or implemented. 
• Focus on cost-cutting: despite high level assertions, there’s a clear focus on significant cost reductions and a lack of focus on work-based learning which may not serve our industries’ best interests. 

Let’s make our voices heard! 

It’s crucial that we collectively stand up and make our voices heard. The consultation closes on 12 September 2024 – so time is of the essence.  

If you want to contribute to HERA’s submission, or if you would like help preparing your own, don’t hesitate to reach to our CEO Troy Coyle (troy.coyle@hera.org.nz). We can also link you into other submission being prepared (there’s even discussions of cross-industry open letters).  

What we do know is that it’s important for as many of our heavy industry members to submit as possible – especially those with work-based training requirements and wanting to maintain (or even grow) industry influence – your voice matters.