Training for Good - September 2024: Careerforce turns 30, support for financial hardship, academic integrity and more

On Thursday 19 September, we celebrate our 30th anniversary. That’s 30 years proudly supporting the training and upskilling of tens of thousands of trainees and apprentices in the health and wellbeing sectors.

As we mark three incredible decades, we want to extend a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has been part of this journey.

To you our learners, your dedication and passion have been the heart of our mission. Watching you grow and succeed has been our greatest reward. Here’s to the countless achievements, the milestones reached, and the future that awaits. Thank you for being with us along the way!

Next week is Maori Language Week (16 - 23 September 2024), and to celebrate the event, we're giving away two copies of this book 'A Māori Phrase A Day'. It's the perfect way to kickstart your te reo journey! It's a modern, user-friendly phrasebook described as a fun and easy entry into the Māori language. Through its 365 phrases, you will learn the following: everyday uses, English translations, factoids, handy word lists. It also presents the most common, relevant and useful phrases today.

Rocklyn (Rocky) Rahipere is bringing a welcome connection to some of Tauranga’s vulnerable communities.

He drives a mobile health clinic across the region’s lower decile areas, providing primary support for the unit’s registered nurse and qualified doctor.

Ngāti Te Rangi Iwi Trust identified the need 16 years ago to fund a mobile health unit that could provide free one-on-one consultations to patients in low-income areas.

Though leaving school at 13 without qualifications, Rocky decided to embark on a NZ Certificate in Health and Wellbeing Health Assistance (Level 3) to help him excel in his role.

Sheila Tippet is a reader/writer for Rocky which means that together they can capture the evidence or demonstrate that he knows how to do something as required for the qualification assessments. It shows that not being confident with your literacy is not a barrier to achieving a qualification.

Healthcare Assistant Tania Ashwell was thrilled to celebrate her first qualification in 10 years at a recent graduation event at Dunedin Hospital.

After six years at the hospital, with lots of experience dealing with complex patient needs, Tania was concerned that if her circumstances changed, she had nothing official to recognise her experience and competencies.

However, with support from Dunedin Hospital and Careerforce, Tania has now successfully completed her New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Level 3) Health Assistance.

When offered the chance to complete the level 3 programme, and finding out what it entailed, Tania jumped at the chance. “I wanted to do the programme, so that I would have a formal qualification for all the work that I’ve done at the hospital,” says Tania.

“It’s about being recognised. I can say ‘Hey I’ve done this, I’m confident in what I’m doing, and I have the qualification to prove it.’”

Are you going through a tough time and need support?

We’d like to help! We’re committed to promoting a healthy learning environment where Careerforce enrolled learners can talk to someone confidentially about their mental health when they need to.

Careerforce is extending support to those enrolled in a Careerforce programme* through a short-term pilot programme. Our Mental Health Advisors are available to provide assistance to individuals on their learning journey.

Our objective is to foster a positive and supportive learning environment where Careerforce programme participants feel comfortable seeking confidential support for their mental health and wellbeing. Support is available via phone, text, email, Microsoft Teams, or in-person depending on location.

To take the first step. Visit our webpage and complete the referral form.

This pilot is generously funded by Te Whatu Ora until 20 December 2024
*This pilot excludes Gateway learners

Each year, Careerforce supports many learners across the mental health and addiction support sector to complete their training programmes. Programmes range from micro-credentials, short course programmes, Level 3 certificates and Level 4 apprenticeships through to Level 5 diplomas.

You may be support workers, peer support workers or others working with and for people with mental health and addiction issues. We'd like to take this opportunity to recognise all of you! Thank you.

We'd also like to congratulate Samoan brother and sister, Vendor Faafuata and Raecil Pati who recently completed their Apprenticeship in Mental Health and Addiction Support.

The Careerforce Manaaki Fund provides temporary financial assistance to learners facing unexpected hardship that is impacting upon their studies. The fund can be used for a number of things including necessary medical, dental or optical costs. Check out the FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) to see examples of what the fund can be used for. Round 6 of the fund is now open.

Round 6*
Applications open: 2 September – 15 September 2024
Applicants notified: 30 September 2024

Round 7*
Applications open: 30 September – 13 October 2024
Applicants notified: 28 October 2024
*Dates are subject to change

Successful applicants will receive a one-off payment of $400 to help with alleviating financial barriers. To apply for the funding, you need to complete the application form here. Within your application, it is important that you both:

Be clear and specific with the nature of your current financial hardship, that the fund will help to address, and;
Detail how the one-off payment will support you in your learning.

To be eligible, you must be enrolled in a Careerforce programme and meet all the relevant criteria.

You will be notified of the outcome of your application within two weeks of the fund closing date. Recipients of the Manaaki fund will be asked to provide feedback to Careerforce to enable us to measure the impact of this funding.

Please note that online applications only are accepted. If you require any assistance to complete the application, we are happy to help. Please contact us at Manaaki.Fund@careerforce.org.nz or on 0800 277 486 (and ask for the Manaaki Fund Team).

We want to support you in understanding the importance of academic integrity. Academic misconduct happens when someone submits work that isn’t their own or uses unauthorised help, including from other learners or online tools like AI.

To maintain the integrity of our programmes and ensure your employer can trust your skills, it’s essential that all assessment work is your own. Use real examples from your workplace and explain them in your own words to show us what you know and can do.

If you refer to ideas from other authors, be sure to give them proper credit. Remember, we're not assessing your English or grammar skills, we want to see you demonstrate your understanding and ability in your role.

Consequences of Academic Misconduct:

You could lose unit standards from your NZQA record and have to resubmit your work.
If misconduct affects a qualification you’ve earned, it might be cancelled.

If you’re struggling with assessments or need help with literacy, please talk to your manager or assessor, join one of our free study workshops, or reach out to us at Careerforce. We’re here to help you succeed.

For more information, check out our resource Your original words.

Would you like some extra support with your training programme? Our Achieve Study Hubs are face-to-face sessions where you can drop in, ask questions, meet with other learners, and receive help with your learning.

Our Achieve Study Hubs are scheduled across the country. Learners are also welcome to attend sessions outside their area. See the full schedule on our website.

Study support options for Māori and Pasifika
If you identify as either Māori or Pasifika, we also have study support resources and face-to-face study options available including wānanga, noho marae and talanoa events. See our Māori support page and our Pasifika support page.

You can RSVP by completing the online form on our website.

The standard expectation is that your assessment is marked within 10 days. For those of you who are completing your programme via paper-based learning, if you have not heard from your assessor within 15 days of submitting an assessment, a form on iportal lets you follow up on an assessment.

From iportal, simply complete the 'Overdue Assessment' form and Careerforce will follow up with your assessor.

Careerforce is fully aware of the workplace pressures our assessors are under, and the work that our extensive network of assessors do is hugely appreciated. This form simply allows us to become aware of instances where additional support may be needed in a workplace, or even situations where a workplace assessor may have left a workplace.

First time users of iportal need to complete a simple one-off registration; simply go to: https://iportal.careerforce.org.nz/, click on ‘Register a new account’, fill in the fields and submit. If needed, a link at the bottom of the page provides helps with registration.

All learners should register for iportal, as you can also access learning resources via the Library, and access your latest training progress report.

Have you considered what you'd like to do when you finish your current programme? Are you keen to broaden your knowledge via further work-based learning programmes?

For those of you coming to the end of your Level 3 programme, this is a good time to consider if a level 4 apprenticeship is the next step for you.

Graduates of the Level 3 Health Assistance programme may wish to consider

The Advanced Care and Support Apprenticeship
The Apprenticeship in Diversional Therapy

Graduates of the Level 3 Support Work - Disability programme may wish to consider

Apprenticeship in Whānau, Community and Social Services
The Apprenticeship in Disability Support
The Apprenticeship in Peer Support
The Apprenticeship in Mental Health and Addiction Support

Graduates of the Level 3 in Youth Work may wish to consider

The Apprenticeship in Youth Work

The full range of Apprenticeship programmes is available here

Free Enrolments
We are offering free enrolments in the following programmes:

Apprenticeship in PCPA until 31 October 2024
Apprenticeship in Whānau, Community and Social Services until 30 November 2024
Apprenticeship in Youth Work (Level 4) until 30 November 2024
Diploma in Health and Wellbeing (Level 5) Applied Practice until 30 November 2024
Apprenticeship in Peer Support until June 2026 via the Peer Support Training Grant*

*subject to applicants meeting the full eligibility criteria

Apprenticeship Boost
Your employer may also be able to take advantage of the Apprenticeship Boost wage subsidy

Keep up-to-date, and read more inspirational stories about your fellow Careerforce trainees, follow or like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/careerforceNZ/

If you’re having some challenges with your training, ask your assessor or employer for some advice. If you think Careerforce can help, do get in touch with us.
Careerforce.org.nz/contact-us/

Has anything changed? It's important that we hold up to date contact information in order for us to connect and provide updates on your training progress. If you have recently changed home address, contact number or email address, then please let us know by sending an email to info@careerforce.org.nz

Are you leaving your employment or wish to withdraw from your training? Please let us know by completing the “Training Agreement Termination” online submission form which can be found on the Careerforce website here

Tip: We suggest you check that all completed work has been assessed and reported by your assessor before requesting your training to be withdrawn. You can do this through iportal if you are a registered user or contact us on 0800 277 486.