Tertiary Education Can Join Economic Rescue Team

Tertiary Education Can Join The Economic Rescue Team

The Tertiary Education Union says that the government needs to consider investing in tertiary education as one of its central responses to overcoming the economic recession.

“We applaud the government’s decision to invest over $200 million of its financial rescue package into education,” said TEU National Secretary Sharn Riggs. “Given the Ministry of Education’s projections yesterday for significant growth in primary education over the next decade such an investment in education infrastructure is crucial.”

“However we would like the government to consider the value of a similar sort of investment in tertiary education as another crucial response to the economic crisis. Tertiary education, like primary education also faces a large roll growth in the next couple of years, both from a baby boom passing through our ranks and from workers looking to re-train or up-skill in the face of the recession.”

“The government’s package is rightly aimed at creating jobs and tertiary education, especially the polytechnics and institutions of technology, are ideally placed to provide the skilled labour for the types of jobs that the government aims to create in its package. A wise investment now can create jobs and infrastructure not just on our tertiary education campuses but also for the many people that pass through them as students. This is also an investment in the long term future of the New Zealand economy and society”

“We can learn our way out of trouble, but we need to invest now while we have the opportunity,” she concluded.

ENDS

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