Parliament Report 6/6 (Apprenticeships’ Code)

06 Jun Parliament Report 6/6 (Apprenticeships’ Code)

The Education and Workforce Committee covered postgrad stipends. Written Questions covered: Te Pūkenga; and Teach First. The Gazette covered the code for apprenticeships.

Our Take

• The Code of Good Practice for New Zealand Apprenticeships has been updated from its 2015 version, with most of the changes merely reflecting updated legislation and responsible organisations, along with some minor wordsmithing. There really isn’t much of note in it. The biggest change is probably a shift around how disputes might be managed, but that had already been required under the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021.

Key Facts

• The House met on tertiary education issues last week, and plans to do the same this week.
• The Education and Workforce Committee heard evidence from the MOE over postgraduate stipends. It was a 16-minute discussion. It also published a submission from Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, which suggested Māori terms for the proposed new types of wānanga.
• Written Questions
  
  • Penny Simmonds received answers from Jan Tinetti on:
    • the “straight forward value chain” mentioned by the Te Pūkenga CE (ask the CE); and
    • the “value chain proposition that is the leadership structure” mentioned by the Te Pūkenga CE (ask the CE).
  • Erica Stanford (National) received answers from Jan Tinetti on:
    • the number of Teach First teaching placements (dropped from a peak in 2019) and schools receiving those placements (list provided).
  • Penny Simmonds asked Jan Tinetti questions on:
    • the forecast debt equity ratio and cash balance impact for Te Pūkenga after the Budget 2023 loan announcement.
• Gazette
  • The Minister of Education has updated the Code of Good Practice for New Zealand Apprenticeships, replacing a 2015 version. The documents were largely the same, but some notable changes were:
    • the requirement to complete a L4 qual of at least 120 credits was complemented by the option of completing two or more L3-4 quals worth at least 120 credits, with at least 60 credits at L4 (the current definition for funding);
    • new text advised employers to provide apprentices with all the minimum rights of any NZ employee;
    • “tertiary education provider” replaced “industry training organisation”;
    • references were added to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021;
    • a previous option for TEC to appoint a mediator between the parties was replaced by Tertiary Education Dispute resolution;
    • unions, but not employer groups, were mentioned as good points of contact for employment relations issues.