4. SCOTT SIMPSON (National—Coromandel) to the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment: What changes is the Government making to improve results from industry training?

Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment) : Yesterday I announced the Government is seeking to further improve the performance of industry training by boosting the number of apprentices and increasing the support for apprenticeship training. These proposals follow a comprehensive policy review conducted by the Ministry of Education. The changes are the next step in improving the performance of the Government’s investment in industry training, and include clarifying the role of industry training organisations, increasing the performance expectations of industry training organisations, enabling learners to transition easily between workplace-based and non - workplace-based training, and ensuring a sustainable funding regime is in place for results-focused industry training. The Government expects the changes to drive a higher level of qualification completion in industry training, so that workers are equipped with transferable skills that improve this country’s productivity and boost economic growth.

Scott Simpson: Given the revised system’s focus on improving the performance of the Government’s existing investment in industry training, who will benefit from these proposals?

Hon STEVEN JOYCE: When the Government came into office, it was clear that training enrolments were high but actual credit achievement was very disappointingly low, with huge numbers of phantom trainees. We set about making changes, as we have in other parts of the tertiary system, to focus on results and improve value for money for taxpayers. Those changes have successfully raised credit achievement in the industry training sector by 19 percent since 2008. A more high-performing industry training sector will significantly benefit trainees, first of all, in achieving valuable skills and higher wages in the labour market, but also businesses, with a more productive workforce, and the New Zealand economy, in producing goods in demand around the world.