Minister’s proposals won’t deliver.

Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union has submitted on the Minister of Tertiary Education and Skills’ proposals for the future of vocational education after the breakup of Te Pūkenga.

The TEU submission calls for a vocational education and training sector that honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi, is run as a public good not a business, doesn’t leave responsibility for provision up to industry and is funded appropriately.

It notes that neither of the Minister’s two proposals will provide strong vocational education in Aotearoa, nor will they deliver for learners or industry.

The submission identifies persistent underfunding as “the real problem – if our VET system is to meet the needs of staff, students, iwi, communities, and industry, greater overall funding is required.”

“However, it is disappointing to see explicit reference to the fact that no new money will be available to implement the changes outlined. This indicates that the Government is not committed to meaningful change for the sector. With no new money, we assert that the proposals will fail to achieve the Minister’s own objectives while perpetuating pre-existing problems which demonstrably undermine the working conditions of staff and, by extension, the educational outcomes of learners.”

“Education is not a business – we must adopt a systems approach to the VET sector and avoid the pitfalls of competition within the system and enhance collaboration across the network of provision to meet the needs of Aotearoa.”

Click here to read the full submission.

Te Pūkenga members should also note that their collective agreement ratification ballot will open later this week. Don’t forget to vote!