RoVE News – November 2022

RoVE News – November 2022

Last updated 2 November 2022
Last updated 2 November 2022

Kia ora koutou,

Welcome to the latest edition of RoVE News.  

One of the highlights of the past month was the Independent Tertiary Education New Zealand (ITENZ) conference in Auckland which brought together many of the key players in the reformed vocational education and training sector. New Zealand has around 400 private training establishments (PTEs), about half of which receive TEC funding. TEC and MOE took the opportunity to network with and inform the sector on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for PTEs – more on this in our article below.

Events like the ITENZ conference are vital as we bed in the changes brought by the reform of vocational education and training, and as we embrace the new system, we ensure we keep learners at the forefront of our thinking.  Many stories are emerging from the sector about learner success, but one in particular stood out of late – that of Te Pūkenga Otago Polytechnic student Brodie Seelen who, despite significant health issues, has made a global splash with one of his Diploma in Digital Media and Design assignments. The 19-year old, with support from his learner colleagues, produced two videos which have both topped one million views on TikTok, a fantastic and no doubt highly motivating achievement for this young man and his fellow learners. It is stories like these which exemplify what our new, modern and future-looking vocational education and training system is all about.

You might have thought things are slowing down a bit now that we’re heading towards the end of the year but the sector continues to amaze with a plethora of activity that illustrates the unifying desire to create a strong, unified, sustainable vocational education system fit for the future.  Amongst the many events we are looking forward is the upcoming Hanga-Aro-Rau Summit: Mānuka takoto, kawea ake - Rising to the challenge in Wellington on 22 November.  This event will see employers, industry players, iwi and hapū, unions, government and vocational education participants in the manufacturing, engineering and logistics industries collectively address the skills and workforce development challenges our sectors face.

Finally, congratulations to Jamie Smiler, Senior Academic in Tourism at Te Pūkenga Te Whare Wānanga o te Awakairangi Wellington Institute of Technology, and Te Pūkenga Otago Polytechnic Social Services Lecturer Rachel Dibble who last week won Te Whatu Kairangi –Ako Aotearoa Tertiary Educator Awards for 2022.  Thank you both for your great work, and thanks to all of you for your commitment to vocational education and training, for supporting our learners, our industries and our communities.

 

Ngā mihi,

Paul Delahunty