Hands-on: new suggestions to reform the vocational sector in New Zealand

The opportunities of industry-based qualifications are highly underestimated in New Zealand. It is therefore laudable that earlier this month, Minister of Education Chris Hipkins proposed reforms to the vocational sector that include industry-based education. In his analysis presented on 1 August, Minister Hipkins rightly pointed out that the vocational sector in New Zealand today is overly complex and not attractive enough for neither students nor employers. His proposal to merge school-based and industry-based pathways under one monolith institution, however, not only fails to provide...  [+] Show more

The opportunities of industry-based qualifications are highly underestimated in New Zealand. It is therefore laudable that earlier this month, Minister of Education Chris Hipkins proposed reforms to the vocational sector that include industry-based education. In his analysis presented on 1 August, Minister Hipkins rightly pointed out that the vocational sector in New Zealand today is overly complex and not attractive enough for neither students nor employers. His proposal to merge school-based and industry-based pathways under one monolith institution, however, not only fails to provide solutions to those problems but also undermines successful institutions within today's environment. This research note aims to provide new ideas for the ongoing reform project. To complement the Minister's all-embracing ambitions, we include proposals for both the structure of vocational education in general and for the future of industry-based education in New Zealand.

Excerpt from publication.