Building and Construction Training Fund (BCTF) is pleased to have submitted further feedback to Government on its proposed vocational education reform, as one of the selected industry groups consulted on proposals outlined in the Ministry of Education’s Options for the future of work-based learning (January 2025). In doing so, BCTF adds its voice to wider opposition to the new option presented, known as the Collaborative Work-based Learning model.

Brian Dillon, BCTF Chief Executive, says it is critical that further reform of the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector makes meaningful changes that set the system up to improve outcomes, avoids unintended consequences, and does not create further instability and uncertainty for employers and learners, after six years of this from ongoing reform to date.

“In our view, the Collaborative model, which shifts responsibility for pastoral care from training providers to Industry Skills Boards, will create significant complexity and uncertainty for learners and employers involved in work-based learning, and additional cost at a time when Government is seeking to reduce expenditure.

“From a common sense perspective, responsibility for pastoral care much more naturally sits with training providers, who are closest to learners, than a third party like Industry Skills Boards. Training providers already have systems for pastoral care and any issues with these can simply be addressed through tighter accountability rather than changing how this is delivered. In addition, making ISBs responsible for pastoral care would potentially distract them from their core role of industry-led standards setting and assurance.

“The potential for gaps in pastoral care during the transition period due to ambiguities over who is responsible and funded for what, and ongoing confusion from multiple points of contact, sets the system up for disengagement and attrition of learners and employers,” says Mr Dillon.

BCTF strongly supports the general direction of the model now known as the Independent Work-based Learning model, which would bring significantly less disruption in the transition than the Collaborative model and is aligned with Option 2B from the August round of consultation. Consistent with its original position, BCTF has reiterated that while this is moving in the right direction in terms of industry-led standards setting and assurance, to genuinely move the dial would require accountability for sign-off of standards to shift from NZQA to the industry-dominated Industry Skills Boards.

“In our view, final sign-off of standards should sit with respective industry peak bodies rather than continuing to sit with government agencies, so that it is truly industry-led and industry-facing rather than inherently government-facing, as is the case currently,” says Mr Dillon.

BCTF is an umbrella construction industry association that represents 17 building and construction industry associations, with a mandate to advocate on behalf of the sector around vocational education and training.

“In this context, BCTF welcomes further engagement with Government on getting further VET reform right and minimising transitional disruption and ongoing disincentives for learners and employers involved in work-based learning,” says Mr Dillon.

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