Unconventional training methods advocated

Press, 20 October 1987, Page 6

Unconventional training methods advocated

Those providing training had to try unconventional methods in the training and its delivery, the Minister of Employment, Mr Goff, told the third annual conference of the Association for Training and Development last evening. He said solving problems in training meant change at the tertiary level, and throughout the education system, beginning with pre-school education. "According to surveys in the early 1980 s 33 per cent of young New Zealanders leave school without recognised qualification,” said Mr Goff. Sixty-five per cent of school-leavers did not go on to further learning, and less than half the nation’s 17-year-olds were in full-time education and training. In countries such as Scandinavian Austria and Japan, 90 per cent of school-leavers went on to further training. New Zealand was now paying the price of complacency from post-war affluence, said Mr Goff.

Slowness to adjust and adapt had left New Zealand vulnerable, especially in employment and training. Women still tended to be concentrated in a narrow range of post-training options and were poorly represented in trade areas. Change in the last three years had meant an .increase from 2.6 to 3.8 per cent of women in nontraditional apprenticeship areas. Maoris and Pacific Islanders were also poorly represented in skilled trade training. He said the main problem was centralised funding which limited the autonomy and flexibility of technical institutes which provided most job-training courses. Central examining authorities which set course requirements, and possibly student numbers and eligibility also restricted the institute’s ability to respond. Another limiting factor was the lack of power for training providers.

Mr Goff said he was still concerned to ensure a

balance was found between autonomy and accountability in the use of public funds. He also hinted that payments for student support could be graduated according to age and that training should not be restricted according to finances. “A 16-year-old on the unemployment benefit receives $99 a week, a trainee on the Access programme $lO9 a week, and a student at polytech, university or training college often receives only $4l a week,” Mr Goff said. “Changes in this area will aim to achieve consistency and equity in student support.” To help overcome funding and requirement problems with training, a new Continuing Education and Training Board could be set up, he said. An option Mr Goff said he favoured was a central policy body which left training providers in their areas to get on with providing training. “The Government believes there should be one national validation authority,” he said.