Skills for Good - June 2021: Employer Survey Results are in, Annual Report released, SpeedMeets planned and more

Kia ora

Welcome to the June edition of Skills for Good.

In this issue, we share our 2020 Annual Report, and I encourage you to have a read. This report reflects on some great achievements, particularly as 2020 had the makings to be a very challenging year.

After a break last year due to Covid-19, SpeedMeets are back in 2021! These are an opportunity to bring students and employers together to explore a career in your sector. Details on registering for these worthwhile events is contained in the SpeedMeets article below. These events follow hot on the heels of our recent youth day events across the country – we have had very positive feedback to these, and I would like to thank those of you who supported these events which were also all about promoting the rewarding and abundant career pathways into our sectors.

All the best for an enjoyable and productive July.

Ngā mihi nui

Andrew Saunders
General Manager, Employer Services

Kia ora,

My personal thanks to those of you who completed our annual 2020 employer survey. It was very pleasing, for the third year running, to again record an increase in response rates. While we always strive to please, we know that we’re not there yet, and we take your willingness to participate as either a vote of confidence in either what we are doing or in our willingness to improve.

Also very pleasing, and again for the third year running, was that we had a further increase in overall satisfaction.

As with previous years, we have spent significant time analysing the results and your verbatim comments, and considering what further improvements we can make to address areas of concern, or to amplify the areas which are driving satisfaction.

This report shares some of the key results, and also details some of the actions we have committed to, to address areas that you have identified for improvement. We’ll know whether we’ve hit the mark when we next go ‘to the polls’ later this year when we roll out our fifth annual employer satisfaction survey.

Nga mihi,

Jane Wenman
Chief Executive, Careerforce

The proposed RoVE reforms were first announced back in February 2019, and traction on the implementation of these is starting to ramp up. Just as a reminder, the functions at Careerforce will be transitioned elsewhere, with their two core functions transitioned by December 2022.

Qualification development & standard setting – this function is being transitioned to one of 6 new Workforce Development Councils (WDCs). For Careerforce’s coverage, this is primarily to the Community, Health, Education and Social Services WDC, but with the exception of cleaning, that will go to the Services WDC. It is expected that all 6 WDCs will be operational from 4 October of this year, and recruitment is now underway for Chief Executives for each.

Arranging workplace training – this is the function where we most closely work with employers, supporting the employer-led delivery of ‘on-job’ training programmes that lead to nationally recognised qualifications. The transition of this function to alternate providers is not expected to happen until late 2022. We are however required to submit a transition plan to the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) by September 2021 – over July and August, we will be sending out information about the transition options available for your consideration and an invitation to engagement events to seek your feedback, and that will inform the development of our transition plan to TEC.

We will be back in touch again soon about these events, and strongly encourage you to attend, and have your say. TEC has made it clear that any transition plans must incorporate the voice of industry, and maintain industry confidence.

For further information on the RoVE reforms, please go here.

In mid-2020, the government released the Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund (TTAF) providing free fees for specific qualifications and training programmes from 1 July 2020 to 31 December 2022. The fund also applies to trainees and apprentices who were already enrolled in an eligible TTAF programme and continuing after 1 July 2020.

If you enrolled staff in an eligible TTAF programme from 1 July 2020 onwards, no action is required from you and the fees have been automatically covered by the TTAF.

If you enrolled any of your staff in an eligible TTAF programme prior to 1 July 2020, paid for their fees and they were continuing training from this date, you may be entitled to a partial refund of fees. We have identified eligible employers in this category. If this is you, you do not need to do anything or contact us. You can expect to receive an email from our accounts team by 30 June 2021 to notify you of the details and requesting your bank account information. Please note that if you have an outstanding account with Careerforce that any refund amount will be offset against this.

The email subject will be Refund from Careerforce – Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund (TTAF).

Trainees and apprentices who funded their own Careerforce training qualification or programme have been communicated to separately.

For further information about the TTAF, including a list of eligible free programmes for 2020 and 2021, please see the frequently asked questions.

The Life Changing Careers campaign has now been running for just over a month, and the results have been outstanding including the following:

5.6m paid ad impressions
Video stories have been displayed 3.5m times, and delivering 1.17m complete views
Nearly 17,000 unique visitors to the campaign website, with top age group being 25-34, and nearly 40% male.

This campaign is currently planned to run through to September, but consideration is now being given to how we keep this campaign alive beyond September, recognising that it will require a multi-year campaign to realise greater diversity into the care and support workforce. Ultimately, success for this campaign will be feedback from you highlighting that you are seeing greater diversity in applications for your roles. We welcome any feedback to marcomms@careerforce.org.nz.

We speak to Careerforce staff who have experience in managing diabetes from two different perspectives. Lorisa Perebooms is a Product Manager at Careerforce. She was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Phil Reilly is a Careerforce Health and Wellbeing Assessor and a former nurse and clinical manager.

Lorisa describes having diabetes as like having a tenant that you need to learn to live with. She has been living with Type 1 diabetes since she was 24 years old. She shares how she coped and is currently managing her diabetes and how she is not letting it stop her living a quality life.

Phil, on the other hand, has seen the negative effects of diabetes when he was working as a nurse. He talks about the signs and symptoms of Type 2 diabetes and shares tips on how our lifestyle choices can help prevent us getting diabetes.

Auckland-based Health Care Assistant (HCA), Calvin Fuimaono Aiesi Naoia, encourages young Pacific youth to join the health workforce.

"They need a lot of muscle there," he says. The 23-year old got his foot in the door after completing a Gateway programme while in high school and eventually joining the Auckland DHB’s Health Care Assistant Cadetship Programme.

This was delivered in partnership with Careerforce in a work-based learning environment, embedded with Pacific pedagogy.

Calvin feels there is a perception issue that deters young people from considering a career as an HCA. "They see it as a dirty job because it’s cleaning up after people. Yes, that is part of the job, but that’s not the only thing there is to look at. You look at the relationship you build with the patients and their family. When you go to work, it feels like working with your family. When I go to work in the hospital, it’s my other home, my co-workers are my family."

He thinks there is a need for diversity and young male staff in particular are needed. "Sometimes you get male patients, who just prefer male staff. Not only can you help them with their bedside matters, but psychologically, you can often connect better as a male to male." He encourages young people to consider joining the profession and be open to on-the-job training. "They not only get the experience, but also get to work and get paid. It’s a really good way to get your foot in the door."

We are looking for employers to take part in the 2021 Got a Trade? Got it Made! SpeedMeet events in August and September over 12 locations across New Zealand.

SpeedMeet brings together employers and students from a variety of industries 'speed-dating style'. Every six minutes employers meet a secondary school student for a mini-interview. If both employer and student note they are interested, a match is made, and contact details are shared via email.

We’re inviting employers to participate who are looking for fresh new staff within the next six months, or who want to open the eyes of young people to the career options that are available to them.

If you’re looking for new staff, this is an opportunity to meet talented and motivated school leavers who are ready to start a new career!

There is no cost to attend but you will need to be available at the location of your choice from 8.30am to 2.30pm. Lunch and snacks are provided.

Auckland South - Wednesday 4 August; Auckland Seventh-Day Adventist High School
Hamilton - Wednesday 11 August; Melville High School
Tauranga - Thursday 12 August; Mt Maunganui College
Palmerston North - Tuesday 17 August; Palmerston North Girls’ High
Christchurch - Thursday 19 August; Christchurch Boys’ High School
Gisborne - Tuesday 24 August; Campion College
Napier/Hastings - Thursday 26 August; Hastings Boys’ High School
Wellington - Tuesday 31 August; Wellington College
New Plymouth - Thursday 2 September; Francis Douglas Memorial College
West Auckland - Wednesday 8 September; Waitakere College
Whangarei - Friday 10 September; Whangarei Boys’ High School
Queenstown - Thursday 16 September; Wakatipu College

For more information, check out the 2021 Got a Trade? Got it Made! SpeedMeet factsheet.
To register, visit the Got a Trade? Got it Made! website: https://www.gotatrade.co.nz/events

If you have any questions, please email: marcomms@careerforce.org.nz

Congratulations to Cathy Cooney who has received an MNZM (Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit) in the Queens Birthday honours for services to health and community.
Some of you will know Cathy Cooney as the Independent Facilitator of the Kaiāwhina Workforce Action Plan and for championing the Kaiāwhina workforce. The Action Plan is owned by the Health and Disability sector and overseen by a partnership between Careerforce and the Ministry of Health. More information.

COONEY, Mrs Catherine Frances, JP - services to health and the community

Mrs Catherine Cooney was Chief Executive of the Lakes District Health Board from 2001 to 2012, overseeing redevelopment of the Rotorua and Taupō hospitals and was Director of Nursing and Midwifery from 1994 to 2000.

Since 2016, Mrs Cooney has chaired InterRAI New Zealand Governance Board and Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology Board. She has facilitated the national workforce planning for the Kaiāwhina care and support workforce since 2012. From 2006 to 2010, she was Chairperson of the National Health Workforce Group and Lead Chief Executive for the Māori Health portfolio. She served as a Director on the Board of Quality Health New Zealand, is a member of the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal, a Foundation Fellow and Censor of College of Nurses Aotearoa, a Fellow and National Council Treasurer of the Australasian College of Health Service Management – Aotearoa, and co-Chair of Healthy Families Rotorua. An elder of the Rotorua District Presbyterian Church, she chairs the Community Facing Ministries Committee and served as Trustee for the Rotorua Hospital Chaplaincy Trust for 15 years. She volunteered as midwife and community development nurse for Volunteer Service Abroad in Kiribati from 1980 to 1984 and a public health nurse in Hokianga from 1985 to 1991. Mrs Cooney is a past President of the Rotorua and Districts JP Association.

Careerforce are still receiving Literacy and Numeracy assessments via paper dating back to 2018 and 2019.

New Literacy and Numeracy assessments are released throughout the year, so it's important that you are using the most current assessments with your trainees.

Please click here to be directed to the Literacy and Numeracy Assessment page on our website where you can find the latest versions to be downloaded for all new enrolments.
Online assessments are by far the best option, as it allows you to access your trainee’s full diagnostic report immediately. If you wish to discuss this option further, please reach out to your Careerforce Workplace Advisor.