3. JILL PETTIS (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister for Tertiary Education
What progress is the Government making towards addressing skill shortages through the Modern Apprenticeships scheme?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN (Minister for Tertiary Education) Link to this
Very good progress. At the end of September—the latest numbers—8,298 Modern Apprentices were in training, a net increase of 538 since March.
Can the Minister advise further on the reports he has received on the value of the Modern Apprenticeships scheme?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
I have seen many positive reports. About the only negative one I have seen is a report describing the pledge to increase the number of Modern Apprenticeships as “rather trivial”. Of course, if one is obsessed with cutting the top tax rate, everything else in life tends to seem rather trivial. That came from the Leader of the Opposition.
Hon Bill EnglishCan the new Minister for Tertiary Education, who has been left with the difficult job of cleaning up the tertiary sector, explain why 35,000 secondary school children are enrolled in Computing for Free courses run by the Tertiary Alliance of polytechnics?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
I have no information on that, but none of those are Modern Apprenticeships so I doubt whether it relates to the principal question.
Judy TurnerIf skill shortages are being addressed, why does the Industry Training Federation report in its briefing to the incoming Minister that: “The fund that is stated to have the expectation of skills leadership saw some ITOs receiving a low nominal rate of funding, and many ITOs a real decline in funding per learner.”, when the Government expanded the industry training organisations’ skill leadership role precisely to address those shortages?
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
A number of issues surrounding the funding of industry training organisations and trade training in general are part of the review that is under way of the funding of the tertiary sector, but particularly of the relationship between industry training organisations and polytech funding.
Dr Pita SharplesKei te kaha ētahi Minita o te Kāwanatanga ki te whakakore i ētahi o ngā mātauranga Māori i ētahi o ngā whare wānanga me ngā whare takuira, ā, me ō rātou arotakenga o ēnei kaupapa nā reira, mā te aha ka mōhio a ia me tōna Kāwanatanga, te āhua o te mātauranga Māori, ā, he aha ōna tikanga hei whakamātautau?
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[Given that several Government Ministers have been working hard to abolish some Māori-focused programmes run by some wānanga and community polytechs and their assessment measures, how do he and his Government determine what constitutes a Māori-focused programme and what aspects should be assessed?]
Madam SPEAKERThe question is very wide of the original question, which relates to the Modern Apprenticeships scheme, but if the Minister wishes to address it in that context, it is within the scope.
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
Yes, indeed, it is well wide. The recent report on te wānanga rather reminded me of the original Disney version of The Sorcerer’s in , with a reproduction of a large number of people with brooms.
I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. I believe that the question should be addressed properly, because it does relate to the skills section of the question.
Hon Dr MICHAEL CULLEN Link to this
I am happy to say that I believe that the assumption made in the question is fundamentally wrong.