Secondary-Tertiary Transitions Forum

There's little doubt that the route from school to tertiary education and work can be confusing – there’s lots of options, but not much clear direction.

"It's a hot topic this year and one that the Industry Training Federation sees as critical to address if we want a skilled and productive New Zealand," Executive Director Jeremy Baker said.

"The workforces of the future are going to be more productive if young people come through secondary school with a better understanding of what jobs might suit them and what decisions they need to make in order to get those jobs."

At the Secondary Tertiary Transitions Forum in Wellington on 1 October, the Federation is bringing together secondary school and tertiary practitioners along with government decision makers to discuss this vital area.

"Making the system of transition easier and with better results will only be realised if different sectors work together more effectively.  This forum will support that happening," Mr Baker said.

Read the full programme here or register here.

NZ Labour Market and Skills Forum

Presentations from the New Zealand Labour Market and Skills Forum are now available on the ITF website.

From insightful economic overviews from Berl's Ganesh Nana Lincoln University's Paul Dalziel (pictured) to heartening case studies on how different ITOs were addressing labour market issues in their industries, the day provided a comprehensive range of views and experiences of the New Zealand labour market and the skills required to support it.

Feedback from participants has been very positive and we expect to be able to hold a similar event next year.

Thanks to our forum partner the Department of Labour and forum sponsors Berl, Business New Zealand, the Colour Guy and Education Directions

Qualification completion - occasional paper

The ITF has always had a strong commitment to research and using evidence to develop good policy and undertake good practice. At the same time, we are conscious that there is a lot of good work – research projects, practice initiatives, and different ways of thinking about issues – being conducted through the industry training and skill development communities that doesn’t always get a lot of publicity.

We are therefore pleased to announce a series of web-only ITF ‘occasional papers’. These will provide an opportunity to share work that’s currently being conducted, and promote discussion about how we can ensure good quality skill use and development.

The first of these, by Karen Moses of Learning State Limited: The ITO for the State Sector, concerns a topic of major current relevance: what factors influence learners to complete qualifications in the workplace, and can be found on the ITF website.

If you or your organisation would be interested in preparing an occasional paper for this series, please contact the ITF.

InfraTrain honoured at Plain English Awards

InfraTrain’s learning resources for Horizontal Directional Drilling were among the winners at this year's WriteMark New Zealand Plain English Awards.

The National Certificate in Horizontal Directional Drilling qualification and resource development won the Award for Plain English Champion - Best Project, while the HDD Guide was selected as a finalist for Best Plain English Document.

The awards aim to raise public awareness of plain English, and to showcase excellence among organisations producing plain English documents. 

InfraTrain Chief Executive John Wills said the award was tremendous recognition for the organisation and the investment it had made in developing industry leading resources.

Buildability Challenge

Students from Morrinsville College have topped their school's second place in last year's competition by taking the top spot in this year's Building and Construction ITO Buildability Challenge.  And the pre-schoolers at the local Ruston Road kindergarten have a fine new tool storage cabinet as a result.

The tool cabinet was replaced an existing trolley the kindergarten was using. The new cabinet needed to be practical and easy to use, safe for the children, and required specific storage for the different tools. It had to close up and be waterproof as it would be stored outdoors overnight. It also needed to be on wheels so that it could be moved into a shed over the holiday periods.

Judges praised the high level of work and the strong documentation demonstrated by the students.  Second place went to Feilding High School and third to Glenfield College.

World Skills in Christchurch

More than 100 competitors are taking part in next week's World Skills National Finals in Christchurch - most of whom are trainees working with ITOs.

World Skills encourages young people to excel in vocational skills and this year there are 18 different skill categories.

More information

Bus Rodeo

Meanwhile twenty-four of New Zealand's top bus drivers will be competing in next weekend’s 2010 Tranzqual Bus Rodeo in Dunedin.

This event promotes the importance of driver training and professionalism and tests driving skills, customer service, road knowledge and ability to detect bus faults.

More information

Developing Management Capability in SMEs

Management capability is a key factor in firms’ performance and growth. Small and Medium Enterprises, however, face unique challenges and opportunities, and their owner-managers require specific knowledge and skills to meet these effectively. The ITF is therefore pleased to support a half-day seminar on management in SMEs, that is being run by the NZ Centre for SME Research at Massey University’s Wellington campus on Tuesday 19 October. This seminar will provide a platform to discuss key challenges, best practice, interventions and business support targeted at developing management capability in SMEs. Registration is $50 (excl. GST).  Click here for  further details, including how to register, or email the SME Centre.