Colin King MP
National Party Associate Education Spokesman

23 May 2007

Labour fails young tradeswomen

The Labour Government has done nothing to improve the lot of young women wanting to take up a trade apprenticeship, says National's Associate Education spokesman, Colin King.

"At the end of June last year, there were only 790 women in Modern Apprenticeships - about 10% of the total number. Almost a year later, the percentages are even worse, and women make up only 9% of the 9,466 Modern Apprentices.

"Labour is getting nowhere in encouraging young women to take up a trade - in fact, they are going backwards.

"In answer to parliamentary questions on how Labour is encouraging young women into trade, Tertiary Education Minister Michael Cullen told me they had introduced new industries into the Modern Apprenticeships scheme that would be more likely to appeal to women like retail, tourism and the public sector.

"Unfortunately for Dr Cullen, these industries were already in the scheme and available to women in 2006, and his numbers of women apprentices are still on a slippery downward slide.

"This isn't anywhere near good enough when New Zealand is desperately short of skilled tradespeople.

"Labour must do more to entice women into industry training. It will benefit both the young women and the industries they choose."

Attached: Parliamentary question

Question 08125 (2007): What initiatives are being employed by the Tertiary Education Commission to improve the number of female Modern Apprentices?

Portfolio: Tertiary Education Minister: Hon Dr Michael Cullen Date Lodged:10/05/2007

Answer Text: The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) allocates funding to Industry Training Organisations (ITOs) for a range of activities aimed at meeting the education and training needs of the industries they represent. ITOs are responsible for developing strategies for encouraging the participation of under-represented groups, including female under-representation, if appropriate. The TEC has introduced new industries to Modern Apprenticeships that are more likely to appeal to women (i.e. retail, tourism, public sector) and works closely with relevant agencies and stakeholders to disseminate information and develop responses to identified issues.

ENDS

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