Skills for Good - August 2025: Save on apprenticeship programmes, new Micro-credential being launched, and more

Tēnā koutou

As I step into the Executive Director role while Rod Bentham takes a well-earned break, I’m excited to continue the momentum happening right across our organisation, much of which is reflected in the stories that follow.

In this issue, we share the details of the recently announced members of the Health and Community Industry Skills Board (ISB) Establishment Advisory Group. As we have previously detailed, Careerforce will transition into this ISB on 1 January 2026, and will operate as a distinct business unit within it. While our future beyond this initial transition remains unclear, one aspect is very clear and that is that it will be industry’s decision. The very clear feedback we have received from employers in our discussions over recent months is the need for continuity and stability across work-based learning.

We also share the story about the integration of Copyleaks into our Aka Toi online learning platform as just one tool to help counter the rise of academic dishonesty. We know that our learners look after many of the most vulnerable people in our communities, and it is critical that as employers, you can have the utmost confidence and trust in the integrity of any qualifications awarded by Careerforce.

Finally, we have just received the results from the third Te Pūkenga learner wellbeing survey, and the results certainly confirm that our learners appreciate what we do for them. Read on to find out more.

Thank you for your ongoing support. I look forward to sharing more updates next month as we build on this mahi together.

Ngā mihi nui

Denise Williams
Acting Executive Director, Careerforce

Congratulations to the three appointments to the Health and Community Industry Skills Board (ISB) Establishment Advisory Group, tasked with supporting its 1 January 2026 establishment; Jennifer Pelvin (Chair), Orquidea Tamayo Mortera - MNZM, Tamati Shepherd -Wipiiti.
Careerforce has had a long association with Orquidea via her role with Summerset and as President of the NZSDRT, and we know that she will bring a great deal of passion, experience and expertise to this critical role.
He tohu tēnei o tō mana, tō mātauranga, me tō kaha ārahi.

More information is available here >

Careerforce is pleased to offer 50% off Whanāu, Community and Social Services Apprenticeship enrolments from 1 September until 31 October 2025. Enrolments are now priced at just $1,000 (incl. GST)*, a saving of $1,000.

The Whānau, Community and Social Services Apprenticeship is a 21-month work-based programme designed to support an apprentice to develop the skills, knowledge, and behaviours required in community support roles to work alongside people, family, and whānau by using tools to support autonomy, identify goals, reduce vulnerability, and build resilience or achieve aspirations.

More information about the programme is available here.

*IMPORTANT: This offer applies to domestic learner enrolments only. To be eligible for promotional enrolment pricing, training agreements must be received by Careerforce no later than 31 October 2025.

From Support Worker to Service Manager, Tegan Coote is now pursuing a leadership qualification to make an even bigger impact. Driven by personal mental health challenges and a passion for helping others, Tegan began her mental health support career in 2015 with PACT in Invercargill, where she later completed an apprenticeship with Careerforce.

Now, she is seven months into her Level 5 Diploma in Business (Leadership and Management qualification, also supported by Careerforce.

During her apprenticeship, Tegan worked one-on-one with young people recovering from, or affected by mental illness for the Southland branch of PACT. The organisation provides support for people recovering from mental illness or with intellectual disabilities.

Tegan was keen to learn more about herself as a leader. “A colleague mentioned that she had found parts of the Diploma really beneficial for her role,” says Tegan. “My manager also mentioned it to me and I really like the style of Careerforce learning. It’s based on what you do and then applying what you do and how you work.”

The Diploma is a 20-month part-time work-based learning programme designed for leaders and managers who are seeking to expand their leadership and management toolkit within their own work-based context.

Careerforce provides a leadership and management coach for the duration of the programme. Tegan adds that the regular check-ins and feedback from advisors like Colleen Eason and Erica Carson have been invaluable, helping to ensure she keeps on the right path with her learning.

Contact us for more information about completing the Leadership and Management Diploma or Health and Wellbeing Apprenticeships via work-based learning.

Read more about Tegan and her journey >

We’re pleased to announce that on 1 September 2025 we are integrating Copyleaks into our online learning platform, Aka Toi.

Copyleaks is a smart plagiarism detection tool that helps spot content that might be AI generated or copied from somewhere else.

We’re introducing this tool to help ensure the integrity of our programmes and improve oversight around academic integrity. First and foremost, it is an additional tool that we are investing in to better support our workplace assessors. More information about Academic Misconduct is available here.

Who will this change impact?

This change will mainly affect assessors. While learners will be aware of the use of Copyleaks when submitting assessments, they won’t see the results, but if something is flagged, it means there is content that closely matches other sources. Assessors will review flagged content, in combination with their own understanding of the learner, before making any decisions.

Assessors will be able to use the tool as part of their assessment process. It will help them make informed decisions and build confidence in the results of their assessments. To help familiarise assessors with the tool, we’re providing support for them through a pre-recorded webinar, weekly online Q&A Hono Mai sessions, FAQs, and other resources.

We’re also emailing learners enrolled in Aka Toi, to let them know about the changes and how it might impact them. For more information, do not hesitate to get in touch with your Careerforce Workplace Advisor.

We’re excited to announce the launch of a new Micro-credential: Supporting Physical Wellbeing (Micro-credential) Level 4. The Micro-credential was created to address a knowledge and skills gap identified in the sector.

This new Micro-credential is a short, NZQA recognised programme designed to meet the needs of stakeholders within the sector. It is aimed at learners in the Disability Support, Mental Health and Addiction Support, Residential Aged Care and Youth Work sectors.

Level 4, Credits: 10, Expected Duration: 2 months

This programme is designed to recognise the skills and knowledge required to identify early physical health problems in people with mental health challenges or addiction issues and support them to access primary care and/or navigate life choices. A support worker who completes this Micro-credential will be able to recognise signs of physical problems and carry out specific tasks within the support worker role while supporting a person with an existing or co-existing mental health challenge or addiction issue.

Learning Outcomes:

The ability to demonstrate knowledge of the linkages of social determinants with physical health inequities for people experiencing mental health challenges or addiction issues.

Having the knowledge of strategies for supporting the physical health of people experiencing mental health challenges or addiction issues.

Being able to provide culturally appropriate physical health support to people experiencing mental health challenges or addiction issues.

We continue to receive queries around the eligibility of learners for domestic enrolment fees. Just a reminder that full information is available on the Careerforce website here.

The following learners are eligible for domestic enrolment fees:

All New Zealand citizens and residents (including those on resident visas)
Australian citizens/permanent residents
Learners on Accredited Employer Work Visa’s (AEWV’s) are eligible for domestic learner enrolment fees, where there is a Sector Agreement in place.

Enrolments via all other work visa types are considered as non-domestic learners, and will be subject to international enrolment fees.

Kia ora koutou, we’re Danny and Avril your Wellbeing Advisors at Careerforce.

We support enrolled learners who may be facing challenges that affect their study, work, or everyday life.

Wellbeing looks different for everyone, and life pressures can include health concerns, stress, whānau challenges, bullying or grief. Sometimes it just helps to have someone to kōrero with in a safe, confidential space.

We’re here to listen, encourage, and help learners explore practical ways forward. Support is flexible: by phone, text, email, Microsoft Teams, or face to face (depending on location).

Complete a referral form here (select “my employee”), or email us at wellbeingsupport@careerforce.org.nz with any questions.
*Excluding Gateway learners

Learners can also access free confidential counselling 24/7 through Vitae https://vitae.co.nz/Te-Pukenga-wbl/

Te Pūkenga recently published its Pastoral Care Code self-review report for 2024. The Education (Pastoral Care Code of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 (the Code), sets the outcomes and requirements that must be met to ensure the wellbeing and safety of all learners, including work-based learners. It covers all aspects of pastoral care and is a legislative requirement across Aotearoa New Zealand, administered and monitored by NZQA. This report shows that practices are in place across Te Pūkenga to uphold all of the Code Outcomes, with no areas of non-compliance identified for 2024.

The full report can be found here. Check out pages 20/21 for the specific Careerforce content, including a fantastic story about the support we have provided to two remote wahine apprentices in Northland.

We recently received the results of the third Te Pūkenga learner wellbeing survey, the purpose of which is to assess and enhance the overall wellbeing, satisfaction and safety of learners across the Te Pūkenga network.

These results again indicate very strong levels of satisfaction, with 95.5% of learners agreeing that they are satisfied with their experience at Careerforce, and 94.3% of learners agreeing that it is easy for them to gain the skills and knowledge they need to achieve their training goals. Our learners are also highly likely to recommend Careerforce to others, with the Net Promoter Score (NPS) improving from 44 in November 2024 to 47 in the most recent results (any score above zero is positive, and the average score for tertiary education in New Zealand is 27).

We have also recently launched a new survey specifically focused on our recently commenced learners.

We encourage you to show your appreciation to your cleaners. We’ll be doing a shout-out to our cleaners across our offices, and you may wish to do likewise. Here are some ideas:

Take a few minutes to stop and acknowledge your cleaner – a simple smile or ‘Thank You’ will be greatly appreciated!
Leave a ‘Thank You’ card signed by your staff or organise staff to bring in a morning tea to share with your cleaner.
Present your cleaner with a gift such as flowers or a box of chocolates.
Leave a Thank You note on your desk or do a shout-out if you’re still in the office when they come through.

More information about Thank Your Cleaner Day