Interesting Times Ahead

Interesting Times Ahead

Brian Dillon - AST Trust Chairman

A common cliché around this time of the year is “where has the year gone”, and this year seems no different. We started the year with the proposal for what’s become known as ‘RoVE’ – the Reform of Vocational Education. It continued with proposals to reform building legislation, and now that RoVE has been confirmed, those that have an interest are getting involved in consultation meetings, and monitoring the development of the legislative changes.

Consolidation of training into one organsiation is being seen as good thing, albeit with some reservations by employers, trainees, and providers. It will enable seamless transition across a spectrum of delivery (training) models, from classroom based to the workplace and anywhere in-between. Research over the years has continually demonstrated the value of a cohort-based approach to vocational training, and especially apprenticeships, and this should continue under post-RoVE arrangements.

Consolidation of training into one organsiation is being seen as good thing, albeit with some reservations by employers, trainees, and providers.

Some questions have been asked about the future of Industry Training Association Building (ITAB) and Apprenticeship Scholarship Trust (AST) in a post-RoVE environment. Plans are still underway to consolidate ITAB and AST into one, and that will now likely include discussion on the ITAB aspects of the support for trainees. There isn’t enough detail to develop anything definite, and a number of groups will need to be considered, including New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) Board and NZCB Members, Apprentices, and the Industry Training Polytechnic (ITP) providers.

One thing the AST Trustees have always been very clear about is retaining the levels of support for apprentices under the ITAB partnership, and that will be front of mind as more details emerge.