Conference selling fast

Once again, the annual Industry Training Federation conference later this month looks set to reach full capacity with only a handful of registrations still available.

"We're pleased with the range of speakers and the number of presentations with a practical focus that others can learn from," Federation Executive Director Jeremy Baker said today.

"Our theme for this year's conference is Vocational Skills: Growing New Zealand and within that we recognise that to support the country's social and economic goals we need a more cohesive system from senior secondary school level through to all types of tertiary education and training.  We also need to work better to incorporate the needs of industry."

Registrations close next Monday and the conference is being held on 28 & 29 July.

New Qualifications Framework

We're holding off getting too excited about the new qualifications framework but it certainly has potential for positive change.

The new framework was announced by Minister Steven Joyce last week, and while we agree with the comments in his press statement we have a number of concerns around some parts of the consultation document.

In particular we are looking for a commitment from government to the role of ITOs as standard setting bodies.  This is critical to ensure that the qualifications and standards remain linked to the needs of employers.  There is little point in having fewer qualifications if the courses and programmes that lead to those qualifications remain haphazard.

Consultation on the framework consultation document closes on 23 July.

NZ Labour Market & Skills Forum

The labour market and skills will be the focus of the latest in a series of one-day fora organised by the Industry Training Federation.

The September forum will bring together a wide range of people who are interested in the relationship between the labour market and skills.  

Federation Executive Director Jeremy Baker said even after the recent recession, the New Zealand Labour Market is tight and skill shortages remain an issue across a wide range of industries and occupations.

"It's a bit of a wake up call - a reminder that in order to avoid widespread skill shortages in the future, we need to be more careful in the area of skill development.  Too often organisations rely on gut feeling or vague anecdotal evidence to make decisions.  Yet there is a wealth of information available to help inform decisions," Mr Baker said.

"The forum will look at what that information is and how it can be used in a practical way, and a range of speakers will present relevant case studies.

Registrations are now open for the forum which will be held in Wellington on Wednesday 1 September.

Good practice for assessment

The need to know more about on-job assessment is behind a new guide produced by the Industry Training Federation.

On-job assessment is a key part of the on-job learning which makes industry training distinctive from other parts of the tertiary education and training system.  However, so far relatively little research has been conducted into how learning and assessment in on-job contexts differs from off-job or classroom contexts. This guide is a step toward remedying this gap.

The new Guide to Good Practice in ITO Structures and Systems for On-Job Assessment looks at principles that might underlie well-functioning processes for managing workplace assessment. Developed by researchers from the New Zealand Council for Educational Research and funded by Ako Aotearoa: The National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence, this document is not just useful for ITOs but for all organisations and teachers whose programmes involve on-the-job learning.

Copies of the report are available by contacting Nicholas Huntington at the ITF.