The six Workforce Development Councils (WDCs) established last October as the voice of industry for vocational education will soon commence their function of endorsing vocational training programmes.  This new function is an important part of ensuring that industry has a strong voice in vocational education going forward. The endorsement of programmes by WDCs will help to ensure that learners are getting the skills industry needs in the workplace through their training. 

From June 1, WDCs will decide whether to endorse new or redesigned programmes for industry qualifications. This means that when providers develop a new programme for an industry qualification, they will need to seek WDC endorsement before the programme can be approved by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) or funded by the Tertiary Education Commission.

To enable this process, the Minister will publish a notice in the New Zealand Gazette on or before 4 May, setting the criteria for the types of programmes that WDCs must consider. The criteria in this notice will specify that WDCs must endorse new non-degree vocational programmes, which aligns with the scope of RoVE.