Focus

Strategic engagement in the year of reform

During 2019, Competenz undertook considerable stakeholder engagement with industry and government officials. The primary focus of the engagement was in response to the Minister of Education’s Reform of Vocational Education.

Mike Simm at a conference

Competenz Board Chairman Mike Simm (centre) in a RoVE workshop with industry leaders. 

The Competenz Board, Senior Leadership Team and Sector Engagement Team worked with key industry representatives and government officials to understand the impact of the reform on our business as well as our stakeholders, including learners and employers.

Our Sector Engagement Team also continued to consult with industry associations and key influencers to gain industry insights as part of their everyday roles.

 

RoVE proposal consultation

On 13 February 2019, the Government proposed major changes to New Zealand’s Vocational Education system and gave the industry seven weeks to respond. Competenz began extensive consultation to coordinate feedback from more than 1000 employers and industry leaders into a comprehensive submission that reflected our collective voices. During this process Competenz:

  • Initiated face-to-face meetings with industry associations, employers, training provider partners, schools and assessors
  • Facilitated two face-to-face workshops with industry stakeholders and employers (one in Dunedin and one in Auckland)
  • Jointly facilitated a face-to-face workshop with stakeholders from the Forest Industry Contractors Association (FICA)
  • Initiated a concise survey to all stakeholders and their networks with 781 responses
  • Facilitated workshops with our Board, Senior Leadership Team, and staff
  • Sent out communications to all learners and employers, encouraging them to ‘have their say’
  • Sought feedback from learners as part of our regular pastoral care engagement
  • Attended iwi and fono events, including those facilitated by the Ministry of Education
  • Attended community consultation events facilitated by the Ministry
  • Participated in formal consultation events with the Minister and Ministry, including a Competenz-specific event on 20 March 2019.

 

Ongoing RoVE engagement

On 01 August 2019, the Government announced its proposed changes would be going ahead, largely unchanged. Competenz, its employers and industry leaders were disappointed that the ITO sector would be disestablished with its functions replaced by new organisations: Workforce Development Councils to set the skills standards and a new Institute of Skills and Technology to arrange and support workplace training.

However, consultation continued to ensure the formation and governance of the new system was truly industry led.

Initial consultation focussed on the sector groupings, formation and governance of the new Workforce Development Councils (WDCs). This informed another Competenz submission to the Government at the end of October. In order to do this Competenz:

  • Had direct engagement with 198 employers and industry associations through meetings, workshops and phone calls.
  • Initiated a survey of more than 1900 key employers
  • Received more than 70 WDC endorsement letters from key employers and industry associations
  • Facilitated a general industry face-to-face workshop in Auckland with industry associations, key employers and the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) on 05 September
  • Facilitated a forestry industry face-to-face workshop in Auckland with industry associations, key employers, assessors and TEC on 12 September
  • Facilitated workshops with our Board, Senior Leadership Team, and staff including an all-staff event on 29 August at the Vodafone Events Centre
  • Continued communications to all staff, learners, employers, providers, schools and assessors to keep them updated on developments
  • Sought feedback from learners as part of our regular pastoral care engagement
  • Attended community consultation events facilitated by the Ministry of Education
  • Participated in formal consultation with the Minister of Education Chris Hipkins, the Ministry of Education and the Tertiary Education Commission.

 

Working groups and reference group

Two of our Senior Leadership Team were selected by the New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology (NZIST) Establishment Board to contribute their expertise to co-design working groups advising the formation of the new governing body for the 16 Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics.

  • Fiona Kingsford, Competenz CEO was appointed Chair of the NZIST Work-Based Learning Development Working Group.
  • Amanda Wheeler, GM Industry Training was appointed to the NZIST Employer and Engagement Working Group.

 

Sean Kirk, Competenz CFO was also appointed to the Funding Reference Group to work on the Unified Funding System Project for RoVE, reporting to the Ministry of Education and the Tertiary Education Commission.

 

Manufacturing, Engineering, Logistics and Technology WDC consultation

With the Government’s announcement of six WDC groupings on 17 December, ongoing engagement on formation and design became more targeted to facilitating discussions between the industry groupings in the newly confirmed Manufacturing, Engineering, Logistics and Technology (MELT) WDC and TEC.

 

Transition planning

During 2019 Competenz has carried out broad work with internal teams, industry representatives and government officials on how the overall transition to the new system – due to be completed by December 2022 – will go ahead. Planning and consultation will continue, with final transition plans to be completed by the end of 2020.