Government Reform of Vocational Education (RoVE) update

There is no impact to host companies or ATNZ apprentices as a result of on-the-job training reforms announced by the Government on 01 August 2019.

Meeting with the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC)

In early August, ATNZ Board Trustee Fiona Kingsford and ATNZ General Manager Susanne Martin met with TEC officials and other Group Training Organisations (GTOs) to discuss the role of GTOs. The meeting was extremely positive.

Confirmation letter from government officials

Following that meeting, ATNZ received a letter signed by Gillian Dudgeon, Deputy Chief Executive TEC and Grant Klinkum, Deputy Secretary Ministry of Education (MOE) confirming the importance of ATNZ and other group training schemes. The letter says:

“I want to assure you that we recognise the important role group training schemes (GTSs) play in the vocational education sector in New Zealand. GTSs play a valuable integration role in the system, and a core objective of the Reform is to improve coordination across vocational education. A shift of responsibilities from ITOs to providers and Workforce Development Councils would need to include relationships with GTSs.

We want to encourage employers to continue engaging with GTSs in 2019 and beyond. We see a continued need for these arrangements in our new vocational education system.”

Support for host companies and apprentices continues unchanged

The support for ATNZ apprentices and host companies continues as normal. We believe that during these times of change in the vocational education sector, GTOs such as ATNZ are an attractive offering for employers.

Should you be interested in hosting an ATNZ apprentice please complete this form or phone 0800 692 869 for more information.