Message from the AST Trust

Responding to changing environments

Kia ora everyone. Thankfully there has been some footy to watch recently, which helped create a sense of normality amongst the chaos. With ongoing restrictions, supply chain pressures, and challenges getting then keeping staff, we will all be looking forward to a decent Christmas break.

While perhaps not on the same scale, many of the providers are facing similar challenges, with difficulties getting materials to finish student-built houses, trying to keep students and see them finish their programmes in the face of often multiple job offers, and for our Auckland and Waikato counterparts – delivering programmes remotely.

A lot has been said and written about how the pressures currently imposed upon us could fundamentally change the way we work and live, and while we don’t know what the long term will look like, there has certainly been plenty of change and innovation in recent months. In the vocational education sector this has meant considering how, when and where we deliver training, and as part of the reforms underway, what it might look like when the polytechnics and Industry Training Organisations (ITOs) eventually come together as one. In early October the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation (BCITO) became a subsidiary of Te Pūkenga, and many polytechnics and regional ITO are already talking together about how we can continue to provide a seamless service to apprentices and employers alike. That service mentality is what should sustain us through this significant period of change – maintaining a focus on how programme design and delivery models can best serve the learner. Industry Training Association Building (ITAB) and Apprenticeship Scholarship Trust (AST) may not be immune to the reforms, and meetings are planned with various stakeholders over the coming weeks to help determine the future of the model that has served so many over the years. As with the wider reforms, one thing that will remain central to the decision-making process will be – how can we best support the apprentices in times of need? I trust you will have an enjoyable summer, get to switch off for a while, and come back ready to tackle whatever 2022 throws at us. Cheers, Brian

Are you in dispute over the interior finishing and completion of a project?

We have specialised assessors who can provide an independent report to review what has happened – call AWCI today.