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New Zealand needs more skilled workers - skilled workers created on-the-job. The solution to any skills shortage is to train more people but, to do so, companies need to be willing to recruit, manage and nurture an apprentice to the completion of a 3-4 year qualification. The problem is, only 25 per cent of companies in metal manufacturing, machinery manufacturing and baking products manufacturing are willing to do so. There is no doubt that there are obstacles to taking on an apprentice. This research aimed to find out what these obstacles were and how they could be overcome to convert non-apprentice hiring companies into apprentice hiring companies - to increase the pool of companies successfully training apprentices and thus increase the pool of skilled and qualified tradespeople. And increasing the number of companies training is an issue that is part of a bigger picture that includes youth employment, Vocational Pathways being introduced into schools, the lack of management skills in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), and the low level of skills within SMEs.

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