Since the announcement of the Reform of Vocational Education (RoVE), the two government agencies have been sending senior leaders to Industry Training Organisations (ITOs) and Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs) to discuss the changes initiated by RoVE and get input from sector leadership.

TEC and the Ministry of Education are also planning a regional engagement tour, which will seek to include Māori and iwi groups, industry and business representatives, local Economic Development Agencies, Chambers of Commerce and local government leaders. The regional tour will leverage off existing meetings with other partner agencies.

TEC Chief Executive, Tim Fowler, refers to the engagement approach as ‘multi-pronged’ and says it will help form the new vocational education system, using input from stakeholders, to be the best it can be. “We are working with stakeholders from across the sector that each have a unique view of what the system should be. Capturing these perspectives is critical in making the new vocational education system as robust as possible.”

Tim says there’s a lot of work to be done in the creation of the system and that collaboration is key to success. “The main thing we want to accomplish with our stakeholder engagement is to initiate in-depth conversations so we can answer the big questions together,” he says.

The stakeholder engagement programme involves five main elements:

1. ITO-facilitated engagements with employers
2. Workforce Development Councils public meetings
3. Regional engagement tour across New Zealand
4. Individual meetings with specific industry groups as requested
5. Opportunity for organisations to submit feedback via email

The ITO-facilitated engagements with employers will cover the formation and establishment of Workforce Development Councils as well as transition planning. Each ITO is leading this for themselves, taking the best approach for their employer and industry groups.

The Workforce Development Councils public meetings will initially be held across the four centres to recognise volume of employers who may not be captured through other engagements. If necessary, additional sessions will be organised.

The regional engagement tour across the country will include discussions on the impacts of RoVE, while seeking input into the formation of the new vocational education system. The aim is to spend a day in each region, meeting with as many key stakeholders as possible. As the regional tour will leverage off existing meetings with other partner agencies, confirmation of dates will be forthcoming.

Individual meetings will be held with specific industry groups as they are requested and there will be the opportunity for organisations to submit any feedback via email.