The Industry Training Federation is disappointed to see no new investment in on-the-job training and apprenticeships in Budget 2018.

Skills shortages are rampant, employment is high, technology is changing, the workforce is aging, and there are a lot of houses to build. Employers will need support to train workers in that industry and many others.

New Zealand's Industry Training Organisations are supporting industries to upskill. 25,000 employers across New Zealand are supporting 148,000 trainees and apprentices to gain skills and qualifications on-the-job across a wide range of industries.

"Workplaces make excellent classrooms, and employers make excellent teachers" Mr Williams says. "Employers carry the bulk of the costs, subsidies are vastly lower, trainees and apprentices are taxpayers with jobs, industry gets the skills it needs, and every dollar supports training, not buildings and student loans.

"We get that this is just one Budget, and that the Minister is progressing a series of reviews, including of vocational education. However, Labour's Future of Work Commission recognised the need to upgrade the skills of the workforce through life-long education and training, delivered through the workplace. This is an international wave, and critical in the face of technological change.

"Traineeships and apprenticeships turn workers into skilled workers, secure the future of industries, and create thriving and prosperous communities. This is a disappointing day for us." Mr Williams says.

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