Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce and Education Minister Hekia Parata announced today that Careers New Zealand will become part of the Tertiary Education Commission in a reform which will result in better and more consistent careers information for school students.
As a result of the reforms, the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) will take responsibility, with support from the tertiary sector and key industries, for providing a seamless flow of high quality careers and training information for students at school, tertiary education and through to employment.
“We want students to make informed decisions about their future career, so they can set themselves up with a job and a future they’re passionate about, while at the same time providing skills where they’re needed and making a valuable contribution to New Zealand,” Mr Joyce said.
The Government started reviewing Careers NZ in November 2014, before taking the decision to review the careers system as a whole and the Government’s role in it.
“We’ve already strengthened links between education and employment through initiatives including Trades Academies, Maori and Pasifika Trades Training, Vocational Pathways and Youth Guarantee fees-free places. This is a logical next step,” Mr Joyce said.
Initially, the 121 Careers New Zealand staff will transfer to the TEC. The TEC and Careers New Zealand boards will set up a team to support staff through the change. The TEC will then work through a transition process to align its resources, including staffing, to its new business functions.
Ms Parata said that the changes will support students to think about their tertiary education and future employment earlier, and ensure their study options match their aspirations.
“It makes good sense to have a look at how careers services in schools are working at the same time, particularly with the advent of Communities of Learning. We want to give individual schools and Communities of Learning more flexibility about how they provide careers services to their students,” she said.
Mr Joyce said that there is a more diverse range of possible careers for young people than today than ever before.
“We want a careers system that is much better able to meet the information needs of all children, students, and their families. The new careers information system, led by the TEC, will work to harness the passion and drive of all stakeholders to provide up-to-date timely information to all students,” he said.
*
