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In this Issue
Transition into Te Pūkenga
Help us bring training to life
New 'Learning to Learn' resources

Launch of withdrawal survey

Welcome to Careerforce's February update
Tēnā koutou

Our relentless focus on improving our learner outcomes in 2021 has continued into 2022, and as you will read below, we have a number of initiatives and activities underway, all aimed at better supporting our learners to succeed. There is no doubt that the disruptions caused by Covid-19 have hindered many of our learners ability to make the progress that they would under normal circumstances, and I’m sure we’re all looking forward to a return to normal life, whenever and whatever that may be.

In line with our organisational Covid-19 protocols, our offices are currently closed, and all our interactions with our key stakeholders remain virtual rather than face-to-face. We continue to review this regularly, but can assure you that regardless, we continue to be here to help you or your learners in any way we can.

Finally, I wanted to extend my personal thanks and appreciation to those of you who participated in our 2021 annual employer survey, a record response. We have received the final report, and I can assure you that we consider the results and extensive feedback very closely. We look forward to sharing these results with you soon, together with the actions we are taking as a result of your feedback.

Ngā mihi nui

Jane Wenman
Careerforce Chief Executive

Transition into Te Pūkenga
Following on from our Board decision that we transition into Te Pūkenga as a business division of its Work Based Learning subsidiary, we are currently finalising the transition plan that we are required to submit to TEC for their approval, and that will see us transition on 1 September of this year.
This will be a complete transition of our staff, programmes, systems and training models so that there is minimal, if any, disruption to learners and employers through this process. Over a period of years, there will be changes through integration into the Te Pūkenga operating model, and our work will be focused on maximising this opportunity to further enhance the training support offered. Careerforce are very focused on making it a beneficial change for all. We are excited by the opportunities that will be available to us in a wider network of provision – especially where we will be able to offer more delivery of training and support for our learners. There are also changes to the funding system coming which again offer opportunities for more support to be offered.

To date, Competenz, BCITO, Connexis and MITO have all transitioned into Te Pūkenga as business divisions of the Work Based Learning subsidiary. The expectation is that at least four more ITOs (including Careerforce) will have transitioned into Te Pūkenga by the end of 2022.

Help us bring training to life and inspire other learners
We hear a number of inspiring stories about the work your trainees and apprentices do every day, and about the difference their training and achievement of qualifications has made to both their work and personal lives.

These stories allow us to bring workplace training to life and they help to inspire and motivate others with their training.
Here is a taste of just a few of the inspiring stories we shared last year.

 
 
If you have some great stories that you would like to share, we’d love to hear them.  It's an opportunity to celebrate and recognise your organisations and your heroes, as well as inspire others. If you think you have an interesting story, please email us at marcomms@careerforce.org.nz
Valuable 'Learning to Learn' resources for your trainees
We’ve developed a series of learning resources to support trainees and apprentices in their learning and study.

Whether they're new to learning, or coming back to learning after some time away, these free resources can help make their training journey more effective and successful.

Please 'read more' to view the webpage. We'll also be adding to these over time, so we encourage your learners to regularly visit this page.

 
 
How learners can make the most of study time
This is just one example of the great learning resources being developed. In making the most of your study time, your learners will find some tips on managing time and managing themselves to get the most out of their study time. Click the box below for more.
Further resources are available here.  Please share this information with your learners.

 
 
 
Meet your future workforce - become a Gateway employer
 
We know our health and wellbeing sector is facing a number of challenging workforce shortages, including those posed by an ageing workforce. As a sector we need to keep bringing young people into the workforce, and promote the increasingly attractive career pathways available to them.

Through our Good Skills Gateway programmes, you can open your door to support young people into a career in the health and wellbeing, and social and community sectors by becoming a Gateway employer.

Gateway is a work placement initiative for senior school students (Year 11 to 13) funded by the Tertiary Education Commission. Being a Gateway employer comes with many benefits:

  • Meet potential employees.
  • Increase diversity in your workplace.
  • Raise your brand profile.
  • Provide mentorship opportunities for existing staff.

Karin Hall, Care Home Manager of Whitby Rest Home and Hospital says, “We’ve always wanted students to come here because we think this is a place where they can learn to become compassionate and care for our elderly people.”

Sign up today!
Getting involved is easy and our team is here to guide you through it. Find out more and sign up on the Careerforce website.

 
Empower your staff!
Remind trainees to register on iportal

 
With an iportal login, your trainees can:
  • Access the Careerforce resource library
  • View and download their training progress report on demand

Since December last year, access to the Careerforce Library of paper-based learning resources is only via a secure login on the Careerforce iportal site.

We've contacted trainees to explain how they can continue to access the resources using their new iportal login, and well over 1200 trainees have already registered.  We encourage you to remind your trainees about this in case they have yet to register.

Trainees can also track their own training progress, anytime, anywhere. With their iportal login, trainees can view and download their own training progress reports on demand.  These reports show which unit standards they have completed, and which are yet to be completed. This all helps give them self-autonomy as they progress along their training journey.

Literacy and numeracy professional development opportunities for workplace trainers and assessors
This month we highlight the professional learning and development programmes, provided by Ako Aotearoa.  Here are a few of their offerings for March 2022:

Literacy and Numeracy for Adults Assessment Tool (LNAAT)
Become familiar with the assessment options in LNAAT and the tool’s connection to the Adult Learning Progressions. This is a four-week online module with a minimum of 1-2 hours of engagement per week. $105 + GST. >>More

Applying Equity in Tertiary Education
This course explores the concept of equity, the impact on success in tertiary education, and approaches for addressing equity issues. Three-hour online interactive workshop and discussion groups.  $210 + GST. >>More

An introduction to Dyslexia | Supporting learners to achieve their potential
Webinar series covering 3 x 1-hour workshops with participants completing reflections and trialing new practices between workshops. Also includes discussion forums. $210 + GST. >>More

Kia Eke ki te Taumata | Success for Māori in Tertiary Education
Two x 2 ½ hour workshops providing opportunity to explore and connect to your own teaching context through critical reflection, discussion, and practical activities based on key research findings.  $210 + GST. >>More

Mentoring in education | Principles, practices and skills
A successful mentoring programme depends on a good model.  It also depends on mentors and mentees having a set of skills and strategies to effectively evaluate the outcomes of their mentoring.  This course includes 3 x 1 hour workshops over three weeks with an expected five hours per week to work on tasks.  $210 + GST. >>More

This is just a taste of what is available. For a full list, contact Ako Aotearoa info@ako.ac.nz and register for their list of professional development opportunities.

 
Learner Insights
Launch of Withdrawals Survey
Earlier in 2021, we launched a ‘Graduate Survey’, the intention of which was to better support our NZQA evaluation obligations, and to gather insights that help to inform continuous improvements. We have now had over 3,000 responses from our graduates that have successfully navigated their learning journey, and these are generating some great insights.

Earlier this month, we launched a ‘Withdrawals Survey’, the intention of which is to better understand what could perhaps have been done differently for those that have not successfully navigated their learning journey, and that could have resulted in learners instead receiving the ‘graduate’ survey.

Withdrawn learners wanting to continue

One early insight from the results to date, is that a significant proportion of learners that have withdrawn from their training programmes would like to pick up where they left off and complete their programme and qualification in future. We all understand that learner circumstances change, and you may have employees that withdrew from their training programme in recent years, but that had achieved credits towards their qualification. It is entirely possible that their circumstances have changed, and that they may now be in a better place to complete their qualification. With free enrolment across all Careerforce programmes through to the end of 2022, now is a great time for them to consider re-enrolling. We encourage you to pick a conversation with your  Careerforce Advisor.

 
Withdrawals and Onholds
Across the course of 2021, we saw a significant lift in enrolments, across both our traineeships and apprenticeships.

However, and across 2021 and early 2022 to date, we have also seen see a significant lift in the numbers of learners either withdrawing, or being placed on-hold. For any learner that enrolls with us, we naturally want to see them succeed in their learning journey, and a key focus for us over 2022 is to better understand these withdrawals and onholds, and consider what supports or interventions we can put in place to prevent these.

We equally encourage you to regularly login to iportal, or to review your monthly training reports which provide a complete picture of the progress status of your staff that are enrolled in a training programme with Careerforce, and to provide a gentle nudge to those who have perhaps gone on-hold, or who have had an extended period of time with no completed assessments.

Review of Health & Wellbeing programmes We welcome your feedback
 
Careerforce has commenced a review of the Health & Wellbeing Level 3 programmes, beginning with Support Work and Health Assistance. This is a significant body of work and will continue through the coming months.

The first phase is reviewing assessments, and this will be done through targeted consultation by either:

  1. Online meetings - two-hour online sessions in which a small group of assessments can be discussed live
    or
  1. For those who are unable to attend online meetings, we can provide a link so that your comments and suggestions can be heard.

Your valuable feedback and ideas are vital to make sure that these assessments are relevant and appropriate for the Health and Wellbeing sectors.

Every fortnight we will detail which assessments are being worked on, and if you or your organisation are keen to participate in these, via the means above, we would appreciate hearing from you - let us know if there are any assessments in the Health Assistance or Support Work programmes that you are particularly interested in. Email productfeedback@careerforce.org.nz
 
Aka Toi update: It’s now easier for trainees to track their progress
For trainees who are using Aka Toi (our online learning and assessment portal), it’s now easier than ever for them to track their training progress!

Trainees told us they wanted an easier ‘one-stop-shop’ to see which tasks they’ve submitted, and which have been marked. So, we’ve added a new option to their Aka Toi dashboards called My Submission Status.

 
From the home page of Aka Toi, learners can access My Submission Status from their dashboards. This will take them to a Marker Table, where they can see the status of each of their tasks from UNMARKED, MARKING, and MARKED.

New dashboard for assessors
At the same time, we have also added a new feature to the Assessor dashboards in Aka Toi, giving them an easier option to access and extract trainees’ progress reports. Assessors can see which modules a trainee has completed, started or not yet started.

Accessing the most up-to-date Training Agreements and other forms
This is just a reminder that the Training Agreement form can be accessed from the forms page on the Careerforce website.  It's important that you use the latest form, as it is updated from time to time.  This also applies to other forms, such as the Organisation Registration Form, or the Standalone Unit Standard Application.
 
Jobs for Good – list your vacancies now
Each month we have approximately 100 live vacancy listings and we have listed well over 1000 jobs on the site to date.  We are also driving people to the site via google advertising. If you have a vacancy, make sure you don't miss out.

Remember, Jobs for Good is free, it’s easy to list vacancies, and it’s super-targeted.

Popular links
Find out more about:
  • Careerforce Qualification Programmes >> More
  • Gateway and Vocational Pathways >>More
  • How to contact your local Careerforce Workplace Advisor >>More
 
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