Skills for Good - January 2024: 2024 fees, Financial boost supporting apprentices, The Careerforce difference and more

Tēnā koutou

I am eagerly awaiting the 2023 employer satisfaction survey report, and wanted to thank the many of you who contributed to our record response rate. While we always strive to be the best that we can be for our employers and learners, we know there is always room for improvement. Your feedback provides invaluable insights into these areas, and have formed the basis of many of our improvements over the 7 years that the survey has been running.

As I detailed last month, and as you may have been reading about in the media, the new Government announced its intention to disestablish Te Pūkenga. Just as it was a very long process to establish Te Pūkenga as a legal entity, it will take time to disestablish Te Pūkenga and will require legislative changes. While we remain a business division of Te Pūkenga for the time being, we have been given the very strong direction to just continue trading and operating as Careerforce as you know us, and as we have done prior to and during the reform process.

Best wishes for a very successful 2024.

Rod Bentham
Executive Director
Te Pūkenga, trading as Careerforce

Make sure you take full advantage of the Apprenticeship Boost wage subsidy that can make a difference to your bottom line. Apprenticeship Boost is a payment to help employers keep and take on new apprentices.

Eligible employers can receive $500/mth Apprenticeship Boost payments for apprentices within their first 24 months. This means the full cost of each apprenticeship programme enrolment can be offset in just four months. Apprentices must remain active in their learning.

Apprenticeship Boost is currently available to December 2024.

In the December issue of Skills for Good, we touched on three elements that you have told us make up The Careerforce Difference, notably:

Integrity matters – NZQA endorsed Careerforce programmes are required to meet rigorous moderation requirements that ensure learners are truly demonstrating the competencies required for the qualification, and for the workplace.
One size does not fit all – with nearly 30 years experience, we have grown and evolved to ensure we have the right resources in the right place to support learner success.
Flex our flexibility - Reflecting that our learners have different learning needs and our employers have different training capability, we offer flexibility in a range of areas that best supports learning outcomes.

In this issue, we are expanding on a further three elements that make up The Careerforce Difference:

Just in time – Your staff can enrol in and commence a training programme on any day of the year. No opening or closing enrolment dates to try and work around. We have average expected durations for our training programmes that recognise that our programmes are workplace based, and that learners are employees first and foremost. However, all workplace training programmes are competency based, and so the sooner and faster that learners can provide evidence of the required competencies, the sooner they can be awarded their qualification. Some will finish early, some may take a little longer.

Step right up - We offer qualification pathways, from Level 2 through to Level 6, that support career progression, from entry level roles through to supervisory and management positions. We also work closely with schools across Aotearoa, offering Gateway packages to students as an introduction to the plentiful and rewarding career pathways across our sectors and that earn NCEA credits.

Walk this way - We walk alongside both you and your staff in their learning, providing pastoral care via our nationwide team of advisors. All Careerforce learners are comprehensively on-boarded to ensure they understand their responsibilities as part of the tripartite agreement, and then receive regular updates and encouragements through their learning journey, culminating in their programme completion, and the awarding of their qualification certificate. We recognise that not all learners are the same, and they all learn differently. We are constantly evolving our learner supports to improve learner outcomes. We are running increasing numbers of face-to-face learner hubs where they can collaborate with fellow learners, and receive additional support from our Careerforce whānau.

Learner Activity

As we touched on in the previous issue, it is critical that our learners are active in their training programme, and working towards successful completion of their qualifications.

Effective from February, we are reinstigating the automated processes that will lead to learners firstly being placed on-hold, and then withdrawn for lack of activity. Learners will receive warning emails prior to being placed on-hold or withdrawn, and you can check the learning progress of your staff via your monthly emailed training reports. Please note that re-enrolment fees will apply for any withdrawn learners.

Janice Collins has dedicated her life to supporting people with mental health and addiction challenges.

Her own personal journey shaped by her own past experiences, is a motivating factor in positively impacting the lives of tangata whiaora who are facing personal adversity and trauma. Her passion for her work has driven her to achieve a New Zealand Diploma in Health and Wellbeing (Level 5).

Her personal experience of having received help and encouragement during a challenging time in her life influenced her choice to forge a career supporting others. Her commitment to upskilling has given her the knowledge and skills to better serve these people.

“It’s been an absolute journey,” says Janice “I got so much help, encouragement and support. I’m so grateful to my mentors who walked beside me. Someone believed in me, and I attempt to emulate hope and teach values of self-respect and confidence with tangata whaiora I support.”

Morgen Forbes is a shining light for young people with a range of neurodiverse conditions.The 60-year-old has supported many young people with ADHD, autism and FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder).

An opportunity to enrol in, and then complete a Careerforce | Te Pūkenga Youth Work apprenticeship with employer Te Ratonga Poumanaaki, meant he could expand his own understanding to better support these young people.

“I passed my driving test, and I got my commercial driver’s licence, but these were the only qualifications that I had ever previously achieved. I am so happy,” says Morgen.

As a Kaimahi Tautoko, Morgen has worked one-on-one with pre-teen children who have neurodiverse conditions. Together with his wife Ana, they are also supporting many of their own whānau and mokopuna with the same conditions and are getting these young people to realise their full potential.

Upskill your team in 2024

This is an Applied Practice Diploma which means learners will evidence the requirements of the programme through working closely and collaboratively to support people and whānau with complex needs. The learner will be required to have completed at least 200 hours of practical work.

The programme is centred on developing the competencies needed to support a client’s complex needs. The learning is transferred into work practices which is used as evidence to support assessment.

Ideal for: Roles supporting people with complex needs such as Consumer advocacy, Victim support, Navigation, Violence intervention, Play specialist, Advanced mental health and addiction roles including Peer Support roles and Advanced youth worker roles.
Enrolment - Any time during the year
Study Style - Work-based learning, 100% online, self-directed 6-8 hours per week with supporting online resources
Study Support - Each module is supported with a 1:1 coaching session for the learner with their assessor, aimed at unpacking the requirements of the module.
Duration – 20 months, part-time
Outcome - NZQA accredited Diploma (Level 5)

Find out more - Download the brochure, visit the webpage,
We're now accepting expressions of interest

Do your trainees or apprentices need some extra support with their training programmes? Our Achieve Study Hubs are face-to-face sessions where they can drop in, ask questions, meet with other learners, and receive help with their learning.

Achieve Study Hubs are run all across Aotearoa
Our Achieve Study Hubs are scheduled across the country. Trainees and apprentices are also welcome to attend sessions outside their area. See the full schedule on our website.

Study support options for Māori and Pasifika
If you have learners who identify as either Māori or Pasifika, we also have study support resources and face-to-face study options available including wānanga, noho marae and talanoa events.
See our Māori support page.
See our Pasifika support page.

Learners can RSVP by completing the online form on our website.

Do you want to help young people into a career in one of the health and wellbeing or social and community sectors? There are many benefits to opening your door as a Careerforce Gateway employer.

Gateway is a work placement initiative for senior school students (Years 11 to 13) funded by the Tertiary Education Commission. Students’ learning is assessed in the workplace and they can achieve credits on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF) towards their National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA).

As a Gateway employer, you’ll be a key part of introducing students to a variety of career options and provide them with an opportunity to access workplace learning.

There are many benefits for being a Gateway employer:

Provide an opportunity to meet potential future employees that can hit the ground running.
Enable your existing staff to become mentors, trainers and leaders.
Raise your brand profile within your local community.
Increase the diversity within your workforce.
Support young people into jobs as part of your Corporate Social Responsibility.

Plus, young people can bring energy and fresh new ideas into your workplace!

To learn more about becoming a Gateway employer, visit our website, or get in touch with one of our Vocational Pathways Advisors on 0800 277 486 or email schools@careerforce.org.nz

Following the extension of the Last Date of Assessment for the Health and Wellbeing Level 3 version 1 qualification, Careerforce will be accepting assessments from learners up until 31 May 2024 for the following programmes:

Health Assistance (version 1)
Support Work (version 1)
Orderly Services (version 1)
Newborn Hearing Screening (version 1)
Dental Assistance (version 1)
Vision Hearing Screening (versions 1 & 2).

After 31 May 2024, any learners who have not completed all of the required unit standards for their qualification will be transferred to the version 2 programmes starting July.

The organisation has launched a Health and Wellbeing Survey which represents the first phase of their Review and a chance for Industry and Providers to tell them what you think about the current Health and Wellbeing qualifications and workforce.

For information about the complete review process and the eight Health and Wellbeing qualifications covered in the review, follow this link.

The feedback they receive will shape their consultation and discussions with advisory groups and help to ensure that the Health and Wellbeing suite continues to be fit for purpose for learners and the sector.

This survey can take between 5 and 25 minutes and is open until 31 January 2024.
Follow the link below:
Health and Wellbeing Qualifications Review (alchemer.com)

This information is being shared on behalf of Toitū te Waiora