NZCTU Media Release

4 September 2012

Greater effort needed to get young into skills training

Greater effort needs to be made to ensure that New Zealand’s 84,000 young people not in education, employment or training participate in the skills and trades training that will enable them to contribute to the rebuilding of Christchurch, according to the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions.

Of the $42 million in skills training funding made available in May 2011 as part of the Skills for Canterbury package, only around $8 million has been used. At the same time unemployment in the region has increased and the number of young not in employment, education and training continues to rise.

Despite the obvious projections of a future construction boom in the Canterbury, it is apparent that many people remain cautious about committing to training while there is still no certainty of secure employment at the completion of training.

In order to address this, the NZCTU is encouraging employers, government agencies and education providers to commit to skills and training initiatives through:
• The promotion and use of training agreements, in particular through apprenticeships and formal traineeships.
• The development and promotion of relevant skills training programmes that are connected to qualification pathways.
• The promotion of on and off the job training supported by mentoring and workplace learning representatives.
• Making available skills investment subsidies to support employers to take on apprentices and to support those who have completed training into jobs.
• Pre-employment training partnerships through Gateway and similar programmes.

The NZCTU says that a significant increase in the number of young people in employment and/or skills training in preparation for the rebuild of Christchurch would be a good way of marking the second anniversary of the first Canterbury earthquake on 4 September 2010.

Ends

© Scoop Media