Dunedin Unemployed Put Further At Risk

Following in the wake of the announcement regarding the Government’s Youth Guarantee and other initiatives aimed at addressing growing youth unemployment, comes the news that local Dunedin training providers have been hit with cuts to their training numbers for 2010. Almost all providers are affected and one faces the prospect of losing up to 73% of their funded places.

Training providers supply Government funded training that gives students free access to nationally accredited qualifications, employment skills (which include computing and relevant industry knowledge) the opportunity to up skill their literacy and numeracy to get people back into employment or moving into further training. They work with some of the communities most vulnerable people, including at-risk youth and mature people who may have been made redundant in the present economic crisis. Many of the at-risk young people are referred from Schools and other agencies in an effort to improve their opportunity to gain employment and in the process get the skills needed to integrate them into the community. Many of these young people do not have the skills or attitude to achieve in employment or places like Polytechnics or University; they generally fall between the cracks unless there is personalized intervention.

By early next year in Dunedin City alone there could be up to 40 less places for at-risk young people to be involved in this specialist training. It is expected this will probably result in them being ‘on the streets’ with little prospect of further education or being gainfully employed. Exactly the sort of thing the Government is trying to avoid.

The cuts to numbers originate from the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) who channels money from Work and Income and Ministry of Education to purchase training options throughout New Zealand.

A group of Dunedin training providers expressed the concern that “A major issue for Dunedin training providers is that they have nobody locally to discuss these matters with, as the area office of TEC in Dunedin was disestablished two years ago when TEC went through a major shake-up. Now all business is done with a South Auckland call centre. Unfortunately these current decisions were made using data and a methodology which does not take into account the recession which hit the country in 2008.”

It is highly likely the new Youth Guarantee initiative will not assist the local providers as it appears they will not be eligible for the few extra places that have been promised, as it is more aimed at tertiary institutions who may not necessarily have the experience of providing the intensive personal coaching many youth need to succeed, that training providers already possess.

A letter has been sent to TEC’s Director PTE and Community Education requesting clarification of the methodology and the intended future of these types of training providers. Receipt of the letter has been acknowledged and the letter has been “forwarded to the team concerned” for response.

Local training providers are planning to meet with MPs, city officials and government agencies for a forum concerning this major issue and the impact for the city. Police and social agencies are already expressing concern on how this will impact on their services.

ends

© Scoop Media