More Study Areas Included In Free Vocational Education

The Government has expanded the target areas of the Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund (TTAF) to include conservation, information technology and additional community support skills.

"TTAF was introduced in June 2020 as part of our response to COVID-19 to strengthen the skills pipeline New Zealand needs to support economic recovery. It makes all apprenticeships and a range of targeted training programmes at sub-degree level free for learners," says Gillian Dudgeon, Tertiary Education Commission Deputy Chief Executive, Delivery.

"TTAF is now being expanded to include conservation, information technology and additional community support skills for the 2021 academic year, to encourage more people to get qualifications in these areas. Community support includes enrolled nursing, cleaning, and support for people with disabilities, including training people to teach New Zealand Sign Language and teacher aide training.

"The targeted areas are industries where demand from employers will continue to be strong, or is expected to grow, during New Zealand’s recovery from the impacts of COVID-19."

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