Employers positive about apprenticeships

Media release

26 July 2006

Employers positive about apprenticeships

New research into the Modern Apprenticeships Programme confirms a high level of employer and employee support, says Business NZ.

Chief Executive Phil O’Reilly says the Tertiary Education Commission’s report Evaluation of the Modern Apprenticeships Programme confirms the programme has encouraged employers to hire and train more young people in the trades.

“New Zealand’s future depends on the development of a high-skill workforce. The research confirms that employers overwhelmingly believe that the Modern Apprenticeship programme produces skilled people for their industry,” Mr O’Reilly said.

“Nearly 95% of employers stated they would either definitely or probably recommend the programme to other employers and to young staff. That is consistent with the high levels of employer satisfaction with ITO training recorded in employer surveys by Massey University and in feedback from our members.

“The positive employer response is encouraging given the programme require the employer to invest significant time and effort into supporting and training the apprentices.

“There is still work to be done to improve the flexibility of the system and to introduce some streamlining, but the clear message from the research is that the Modern Apprenticeship Programme is running successfully and with high levels of employer support.”

ENDS

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