Funding micro-credentials
Our industries want shorter, targeted, and flexible training. To address this need we are developing a number of micro-credentials. This is likely to be a feature across all sectors, not just food and fibre, and we want to ensure that sufficient funding is available to meet demand.
Monitoring the impacts of funding policy changes
The removal of the fees-free policy and access of migrant workers to domestic fees is likely to have an impact on learner numbers, with flow on effects to industries. Effective and timely monitoring will be required to ensure that those policy changes are achieving their desired outcomes.
Changes to meet emerging needs over the next year
The recent weather events have highlighted the potential to respond to specific skill needs. It is too early for these to be identified but could mean short training to upskill new or existing workers. As these become more apparent, we will work with TEC and others to ensure that industries have the skills to support recovery.
Looking to the future
Our Workforce Development Plans have identified a number of cross-cutting sector issues that arose from many industries. These cross-cutting issues relate to many of the future focused challenges and opportunities for the whole sector, including climate responsiveness and developing and maintaining healthy and productive soils, water, plants, and animals. The skills required to address those issues will form a fundamental consideration as we develop our qualifications.
Simplifying and improving speed to market: from qualification development to programme availability
Muka Tangata is streamlining its qualification review and development processes with the aim of having learners able to enrol a year after the qualification review begins. Under our new processes, we will be partnering with industry, iwi Māori and vocational education providers to review and develop qualifications, standards, micro-credentials and programmes in parallel.
We will be keeping TEC informed, so that funding will be available when programmes have been endorsed. We indicate in our industry-specific advice below where we are undertaking qualification suite reviews.