Industry Training Review: Discussion between Ministry of Education officials and employers

Transcription

1 Industry Training Review: Discussion between Ministry of Education officials and employers Introduction Welcome and thank you for agreeing to meet with us and assist us with the review of industry training we are undertaking. The industry training review The industry training review is being conducted to consider the extent to which the industry training system delivers the skills to maximise the productive potential of New Zealand industries and the employment and earnings of people in the workforce. The review will provide advice on possible directions for change to improve the value of Government s investment in industry training. The review will focus upon the contribution of Industry Training Organisations (ITOs) and Modern Apprenticeships Coordinators. We anticipate that the Government will be considering the sorts of changes, if any, they want to make to industry training later this year or early next year. What do we want to know? We want to hear the opinions and experiences of businesses about the vocational education and training system in New Zealand. We want to know what you think works well, and what doesn t, and also what are important factors for business owners when making decisions about training. Understanding your point of view will help us to understand the system s current strengths and weaknesses, why things happen the way they do, and how the system could do better at supporting industries to succeed. Ground rules for the discussion Before we start, we would like to discuss what we intend to do with the information you provide us in these discussions. We promise that the information we receive will be used for the purposes of reviewing the industry training system, and not for any other purpose. For the purposes of capturing and using the results of our discussion: we intend to record the meetings, but that is just so we can ensure that we report what you say accurately. we will most likely be using the information in a report or reports that will be publicly released (on MoE s website). The Minister for Tertiary Education has made an undertaking that all the reports from the industry training review will be published.

2 in light of the above, would you prefer to be named in these reports, or identified anonymously e.g. as Employer A. We are happy to treat what you say anonymously if it will help you to be free and frank we want to find out about what the system s strengths and weaknesses are from your point of view. Do we have your permission to make these recordings? We will show you the writeup of the interview so that you are able to make any corrections. I freely consent to this discussion being recorded for the purpose of reviewing the industry training system I consent to be First question named not named in Ministry of Education reports First Question Do you participate in ITO-arranged training? If no, Are you covered by an Industry Training Organisation but choose not to use industry training? If no or don t know, Are you in an industry that does not participate in Industry Training Organisation arranged training?

3 Employers who participate in Industry Training Organisation-arranged training Context 1 How many people do you employ? What are the characteristics of your workforce? E.g. are they young or older, mostly male or female? 2 Are new employees generally experienced or inexperienced, qualified or with few qualifications? Is this typical for your industry? What are the advantages and disadvantages of employing: 3 A graduate who is fully qualified but has no or limited workplace experience Someone who is not fully qualified who you may train as an apprentice/trainee? 4 Is your business part of a well-defined and co-ordinated industry that works together on common issues? Decisions to invest in training 5 How much training does your firm undertake? How often? Who is it for? 6 Why do you invest time and money in training your employees? 7 If you are deciding whether or not to invest in training an employee, what are the key things that influence your decision? What are the main things that would lead you to not invest in formal training for an employee? 8 What are the main costs to employers when an employee is being trained on and off the job?

4 Experience with using industry training (and other training options) 9 What are your experiences with ITOs? What are the problem areas and what are the strengths? 10 How does your ITO contribute to your ability to improve the quality of your products and services or satisfy your customers? Are you able to measure the benefits, to your business, of training? 11 Do you deal with multiple ITOs? What are your experiences in using more than one ITO? 12 Do you use other parts of the vocational education and training system (e.g. training at a polytechnic or PTE)? If so, does it provide what your business needs? Are there things that it could provide but is not (or is, but could do better)? How easily can you influence the following to improve the training options you could use: 13 Your ITO The training system generally From your point of view, how would an effective system of feedback work so that what is being taught to trainees stays up to date and is of good quality? 14 How useful are the qualifications developed by ITOs? If the employee gained the skills, would it matter to you whether they achieved the qualification or not? If you could employ someone who had experience in the industry, would it matter to you whether or not they had a formal qualification? 15 Do you have any experience relating to pre-trades courses/qualifications? Are these qualifications useful? 16 What would you like to see change (if anything) at the ITO that you use, in terms of:

5 setting skill standards administration assessment of trainees monitoring of training quality? Modern Apprenticeships 17 Do you train Modern Apprentices? If so, what are the main differences in the experience of Modern Apprenticeships and regular industry trainees? 18 What is your experience with the effectiveness of Modern Apprenticeships Co-ordinators?

6 Employers covered by an Industry Training Organisation but do not use industry training Context 1 How many people do you employ? 2 What are the characteristics of your workforce? E.g. are they young or older, mostly male or female? Are new employees generally experienced or inexperienced, qualified or with few qualifications? Is this typical for your industry? 3 What are the advantages and disadvantages of employing: A graduate who is fully qualified but has no or limited workplace experience Someone who is not fully qualified who you may train as an apprentice/trainee? 4 Is your business part of a well-defined and co-ordinated industry that works together on common issues? Decisions to invest in training 5 Do you provide training for your staff? How much? How often? Who is it for? How do you arrange for training? What is good (or alternatively not working) about the training options you currently access? 6 If you invest in training (or provide training for your staff), what are the benefits for your business? Are you able to measure the benefits? 7 If you are deciding whether or not to invest in training an employee, what are the key things that influence your decision? What would lead you to not invest in training for an employee?

7 Experiences with industry training (or other training options) 8 Why do you choose not to use industry training to meet your training needs? 9 How could the industry training system be improved so that your business would use it? 10 Does the vocational education system in general provide what your business needs? Are there things that it could provide but is not (or is, but could do better?) 11 How easily can you influence the training providers you use so that the training on offer stays up to date and of good quality? From your point of view, how would an effective system of feedback work so that what is being taught to trainees stays up to date and is of good quality? 12 How important are qualifications? If the employee gained the skills, would it matter to you whether they achieved the qualification or not? If you could employ someone who had experience in the industry, would it matter to you whether or not they had a formal qualification? 13 Do you have any experience relating to pre-trades courses/qualifications? Are these qualifications useful? Modern Apprenticeships 14 If you invest in training (or provide training for your staff), do you train Modern Apprentices? If so, why? 15 What is your experience with the effectiveness of Modern Apprenticeships Co-ordinators?

8 Employers in an industry that does not participate in Industry Training Organisation-arranged training Context 1 How many people do you employ? 2 What are the characteristics of your workforce? E.g. are they young or older, mostly male or female? Are new employees generally experienced or inexperienced, formally qualified or with few qualifications? Is this typical for your industry? 3 What are the advantages and disadvantages of employing: A graduate who is fully qualified but has no or limited workplace experience Someone who is not fully qualified who you may train as an apprentice/trainee? 4 Is your business part of a well-defined and co-ordinated industry that works together on common issues? Experiences with the vocational education and training system 5 Do you provide training for your staff? How much? How often? Who is it for? How do you arrange for training? What is good (or alternatively not working) about the training options you currently access? 6 If you invest in training (or provide training for your staff), what are the benefits to you as a business? Are you able to measure the benefits?

9 7 If you employ people who are already formally qualified, where do they come from, e.g. were they originally trained at a polytechnic or somewhere else (e.g. gained experience and a qual while working in another workplace)? Are you satisfied with the skill level and work readiness of the qualified people that you employ (e.g. in their first job)? 8 Why does your industry not have Industry Training Organisation coverage? 9 How easily can you influence the training providers you use so that the training on offer stays up to date and of good quality? From your point of view, how would an effective system of feedback work so that what is being taught to trainees stays up to date and is of good quality? 10 How important are qualifications? If the employee gained the skills, would it matter to you whether they achieved the qualification or not? If you could employ someone who had experience in the industry, would it matter to you whether or not they had a formal qualification? 11 Experience relating to pre-trades courses/qualifications are they useful? Do they provide good preparation for apprentices? Preferences 12 What would make you think about investing in training, e.g. Skill standards agreed by your industry The availability of night classes at a local polytechnic or PTE Someone to help with the paperwork Formal assessment of skills your employees learn while working