Latest news with #vocational
RNZ News
14-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Tertiary Education Union says sector's become a political football, slams Te Pūkenga disestablishment
Otago Polytechnic will be absorbed into the Open Polytechnic, a move the former is "deeply disappointed" by. Photo: Google Street View The Tertiary Education Union is calling the government's disestablishment of Te Pūkenga a "disaster for regional New Zealand". Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds joined Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Monday to announce 10 polytechnics were being re-established. The Southern Institute of Technology she was chief executive of for 23 years was one of them - as was Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, after Nelson mayor Nick Smith appealed for the government to keep it independent . He was delighted, saying the govenrment's announcement is "the best news for Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough". "We are one of New Zealand's most geographically isolated regions, meaning that for many students who cannot relocate for financial or family reasons, NMIT is the only opportunity for them to upskill and gain a tertiary education," he said in a written statement. "There is now a big job ahead to rebuild NMIT. We look forward to the passage of the legislation and the appointment of a new polytechnic council. Key steps will be re-establishing links with local industry and redeveloping NMIT's international brand and market." Others were not so lucky. The Open Polytechnic will absorb Otago Polytechnic and UCOL, becoming a "federation" that offers online resources, an academic board and other services to those polytechs struggling with money. Otago Polytechnic executive director Megan Pōtiki said it was "deeply disappointed" to be included in the federation model. "Otago Polytechnic currently boasts one of the highest learner completion rates in the polytechnic sector, and we are concerned that the federation model would dilute this offering and impact our organisation's proud reputation and future success. The federation model risks undermining our learner success rates and the quality of teaching ... and ultimately risks undermining our independence and future viability as a regional institution." Minister Simmonds said polytechs in four other regions - Northland, Taranaki, Wellington, and the West Coast - were facing "unique challenges" and needed to show a path to financial viability within a year - or face being merged, or closed. Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver Tertiary Education Union national secretary Sandra Grey told RNZ the sector had been suffering for 20 years and had become a political football. She said the minister's announcement was just a return to a model that was failing. "This government has just exacerbated it ... leaving four out in the cold and saying 'you'll just have to do something radically different, like just do online learning then you'll be financially viable' - that's a pretty cruel thing to do to communities. "That doesn't work so well when what you're teaching is cookery, or carpentry. They're not easy to teach online." She said most of the four facing an uncertain future were in rural areas which did not have universities and depended on polytechnics to become a hub of learning and industry. The government's plan, she said, would only deepen the divide between rural and urban learning. The former Industry Training Organisations would be replaced with Industry Skills Boards, which would set standards for industry training, develop qualifications, and endorse the programmes that would lead to them. The minister said they would be supported with Quality Assurance to ensure consistency - saying industries would now have a bigger say. Grey, however, said the plan was problematic because it would require students to go to a temporary holding place for two years - and the government had halved the funding for it. "This government keeps claiming it's giving communities and industry a big say in their future and yet it's making all the decisions for them, taking away all the money from them. "They're not thinking about whether it's genuinely going to serve industry or genuinely serve community, I think they've been warned this is not going to work for anyone, they're just going to go ahead because they made a promise. They could renege on that promise, we'd be quite happy if they turned around. "What we've got to appreciate is these polytechnics are built up over five decades, two generations have put energy, time, taxpayer money into building their polytechnics. These belong to New Zealanders, these polytechnics - and this government is just running roughshod over communities and taking decisions for them and making it impossible to have good training in small communities. "The long-term cost of people missing out on education is poorer health outcomes for people - so more money spent on the health system - poor outcomes socially because people don't get jobs, and lost tax revenue because when people don't train they don't get jobs and they don't contribute to the tax take. "We all lose out when communities lose out and when students don't have courses, this is a disaster if we don't turn it around." Labour's leader Chris Hipkins was the education minister who launched Te Pūkenga, and acknowledged the merger faced difficulties but said the government was turning the system upside down. "Te Pūkenga took too long to get off the ground in my view, but they turned a surplus last year. I think to turn the whole system upside down all over again right at a time when we need to be increasing the number of people we're training is a bit crazy." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
12-06-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Funding cut hurting Pacific and Maori students
In Aotearoa New Zealand, education advocates say a government decision to remove special funding for Pacific and Maori students in vocational courses harks back to the days of a one-size-fits all education model. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
12-06-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Funding cuts for Pacific and Maori polytech students
Pacific education 20 minutes ago Education advocates have said a government decision to remove special funding for Pacific and Maori students in vocational courses harks back to the days of a one-size-fits all education model. The funding cut applies to a per-student subsidy for Pacific and Maori enrolments at poytechnics and private training institutions. It is used to help fund dedicated support services for these students. Teuila Fuatai reports.
The Guardian
10-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Staff and students fight loss of A-levels at London college helping disadvantaged learners
Teachers and students are fighting to preserve A-levels at a college that works with disadvantaged young people who have failed their GCSEs, some of whom have gone on to complete Oxbridge degrees. The sixth form college in Hackney, known as BSix, has offered one of the lowest entry requirements in the UK for pupils who want to pursue A-level courses. The entry requirement is just one GCSE pass grade. Help and support is given for exam retakes, allowing those who pass to take A-levels. The vast majority of students come from minority ethnic backgrounds. Some students have been in care, in young offender institutions or in pupil referral units. BSix has now been taken over by New City College, a large institution with campuses across east London and Essex. It has been renamed Hackney Sixth Form campus and internal proposals recommend discontinuing A-levels in favour of more vocational courses, along with dozens of redundancies, including compulsory job losses if too few staff take up voluntary redundancy. Hackney National Education Union officer David Davies described the proposals as an act of 'educational vandalism'. On Thursday staff are going on strike in protest against the proposed restructuring, the threat of compulsory redundancies and unacceptable workload. A petition has been started calling for current provision at BSix College to be protected. One current 17-year-old student said: 'I have been at other places but felt very boxed in. BSix is the first place that has really seen me as a person. I am willing to fight in any way I can to save these teachers' jobs. They are doing remarkable work.' The teachers and students have backing from Diane Abbott, the local MP, along with the rapper and activist Akala and various black academics who have come to the college to give talks to the students. The late poet Benjamin Zephaniah was also a supporter of and visitor to the college. Leanne Gayle, 28, a former student at the school who gained a 2:1 in history and politics at Cambridge before studying law. She has now secured a training contract with a top law firm. 'There was a different vibe at this place,' Gayle said. 'BSix gave me a second chance. There were so many enrichment opportunities here. A group of six of us wanted to get into Oxbridge, five of us succeeded.' Another former student, Emmanuel Onapa, 25, had previously attended a secondary school where he failed to achieve academically before moving on to BSix. 'Before I went to BSix I didn't feel seen or heard,' he said. 'Thanks to this college including enrichment programmes like the Knowledge is Power course I was able to gain a voice.' Onapa went on to gain A-levels and then attended University of Exeter where he secured a 2:1 degree and is now working as a journalist. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Staff and students fear that the Knowledge is Power course, which teaches students about their history, will be downgraded as part of the NCC reorganisation plan. But NCC denies this will happen. Akala, who has attended education sessions at the college over the years, said he has been inspired by the dedication of the teachers and resilience of the students. 'The college is in the spirit of what universal education is about,' he said. Stafford Scott, the director of Tottenham Rights community group, said: 'BSix has built a powerful legacy of working with students from disadvantaged backgrounds who have been written off elsewhere and helps them reach top universities across the UK. It doesn't just teach, it believes in young people.' A spokesperson for NCC said: 'It is common for schools and colleges to periodically review the curriculum they offer and their staffing structure. A current internal review is under way with the sole purpose of driving opportunity and increasing student achievement while addressing some specific areas of low achievement at the previous BSix campus, so that local young people are not disadvantaged. 'No decision has yet been made regarding A-level provision at the campus. Whatever the outcome of the review, every student is expected to stay at the college and complete their course. We are committed to all our learners' best possible outcomes.'
CBC
18-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Starting from scratch, how Guyana is building an oilpatch workforce
'We have to train our own people,' says Clement Sankat, director of the Guyana Technical Training College
