Hon Louise Upston

Associate Minister of Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment

17 May 2017

Future in focus for learners and employers

Learners and employers are demanding more flexible learning and a combination of technical and life skills knowledge, according to feedback to the Tertiary Education Commission.

The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) has been travelling the country holding workshops to gain feedback from stakeholders on the future of career information ahead of the transition of Careers New Zealand to the TEC in July.

“Feedback provided to TEC at the workshops found learners and employers are expecting access to seamless, tailored education services that are digitally connected and responsive to fast-changing skills needs,” says Louise Upston, Associate Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment.

“In our increasingly digital world, that means learners and employers are demanding more flexible delivery as traditional tertiary education models are being placed under ever greater pressure.

“To help Kiwi workers keep pace with technological advances, the workshops also heard it will be vital for learners to get the right balance of hard skills such as qualifications and training, and soft skills like resilience, learning new skills quickly and self-management,” says Ms Upston.

“Even though we can’t predict with accuracy what New Zealand’s skills requirement will be 10 years from now, the findings from these workshops will help ensure we make the best investments to support New Zealanders navigate the continually changing labour market of the future.

“The Government is committed to ensuring people have the right skills for work and helping businesses grow and prosper. That’s why we have set a target of 50,000 in work-based training by 2020 and we are well on our way to achieving it,” Ms Upston says.

The workshops involved employers, iwi, young people, regional economic development representatives and private career service organisations across the country.

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