Report highlights opportunities for Pacific learner success

Report highlights opportunities for Pacific learner success

MEDIA RELEASE – Careerforce, Skills, ServiceIQ, Competenz

A highly-anticipated report on the success of Pacific learners in the workplace is being launched at the Pacific Tertiary Education Forum in Auckland today.

The research report, Pacific Learner Success in Workplace Settings, focuses on exploring key links, barriers and solutions leading to higher achievement for Pacific learners in the workplace

A consortium of four Industry Training Organisations (ITOs), Careerforce, Skills, ServiceIQ and Competenz have designed and implemented various training pilot programmes focusing on Pacific learners.

“Excitingly, our research has shown that supportive workplace and family environments, good relationships with training facilitators and small learner support groups make a positive difference to the success of Pacific learners,” says Ifi Ripley, Learning Engagement Advisor with Careerforce, the ITO for the health, social services and wellbeing sectors.

The research focuses on Pacific learners’ achievement in industry-based training and brings a Pacific learner perspective to importance factors influencing participation, achievement and access to ITO-facilitated qualifications.

“The portrait of a typical Pacific household is one where looking after family comes first, before work or education commitments,” Ms Ripley says.

“So naturally, Pacific learners need to prioritise learning, work and family and having that family support is also a key factor for success.”

New Zealand is home to a growing Pacific population and enhancing educational outcomes for these communities is a priority for the Tertiary Education Commission, the key body that delivers funding to tertiary institutions and industry training organisations.

Caroline (Ligi) Harris from ServiceIQ, the ITO for aviation, hospitality, museums, retail, tourism and travel, says “While educational outcomes for Pacific people in New Zealand are improving, a lot more work needs to be done to address persistent disparities between Pacific learners and other New Zealanders.”

“Also, Pacific workers are often unaware of the range of workplace-based learning opportunities available to them or lack the confidence to give these qualifications a try,” Ms Harris says.

“For example, they might have had a tough time at school which has put them off pursuing higher education, and they may have language barriers due to having English as a second language.”

The full findings of this research, undertaken by Pacific owned and led consultancy Pacific Perspectives Limited for Ako Aotearoa, the National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence, will be launched at the New Zealand Pacific Tertiary Education Forum in Manukau on Thursday.

For more information or to view the full report please see: https://akoaotearoa.ac.nz/pacific-learner-success-in-workplace-settings

ENDS

© Scoop Media