Proposed polytechnic shake-up could see 70 per cent of employers hire fewer apprentices, education consultant claims

March 13, 2019

Skills Organisation’s Gary Fissenden says a new survey found employers will hire fewer apprentices if the proposal goes ahead.

A new survey has revealed more than half of New Zealand employers would hire fewer apprentices if a Government proposal to overhaul the polytechnic system is implemented.

The plan to merge the 16 polytechnics into one national body was announced last month with the intention of better tailoring courses to suit the needs of the sector.

But a survey by Skills Organisation, the industry training organisation, found nearly 70 per cent of employers think the changes would be out of touch with their needs, and signal a shift towards more theory-based training.

"Polytechnics are really good at teaching the classroom - very, very good at that, so the feeling from the firms is that there will be more and more teaching in the classrooms and less and less teaching in the workplace," Skills Organisation CEO Gary Fissenden said on TVNZ1's Breakfast this morning.

"They do need the theory, but trades are very much an applied job ... It's actually a partnership with the firm and the boss who's actually teaching you all the stuff that they've learnt over 20, 30 years."

The majority of respondents feel it will impact their ability to take on apprentices.

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