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Employer newsletter | August 2023
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- Free enrolment in Health and Wellbeing Levels 2 and 3
- Te Pūkenga 2022 Annual Report
- From tragedy to a career change for mental health graduate
- Drop-in sessions to help your learners progress their learning
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Welcome to Careerforce's August update
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Tēnā koutou
We are currently awaiting decisions on a new national Te Pūkenga structure, following a consultation period that provided all Te Pūkenga kaimahi (staff) with the opportunity to provide their feedback on the proposed structure. Once the final decisions have been made, there will then be a very carefully managed transition period for our kaimahi, to ensure that employer and learner outcomes are not impacted through this.
As part of this, I have spent considerable time reflecting. I do firmly believe that we have always had a very strong
value proposition for our employers, and so our focus through these changes is to maintain this, but also leverage the opportunities that arise from being part of a larger network.
We know that the workplace-based learning model works very effectively for the sectors we support, and that via our annual employer survey, we are highly regarded by a vast majority of the employers we work with. Our employers value:
- The strong relationships with our nationwide network of experienced advisors and assessors who understand your needs and challenges, and who have backgrounds in your sectors.
- The dedicated team of Learning Engagement Advisors (LEAs) across New Zealand, supporting the continual development of workplace-based assessors, plus the flexibility to access Careerforce assessors.
- The additional and increasing level of wraparound learner supports through the learning journey, including literacy and numeracy support, and specific strategies to support improved outcomes for our Māori, Pasifika and disabled
learners.
- Programmes and qualifications that reflect the skills and competencies required in the workplace, and that recognise existing skills and competencies of staff.
- Training programmes that are developed exclusively for workplace learning, supported by learning and assessment resources that are continually refined and improved.
- Flexible learning model where learners can progress at their own pace, and via a learning platform that best suits their needs (paper-based or digital).
- Regular detailed reporting around their staff learning progress, and regular communication updates.
We are also intimately aware of the financial and funding challenges facing our employers, and that is recognised by our current Winter Booster free enrolment promotion for our Health &
Wellbeing Level 2 and 3 programmes. This is only until the end of September, so please make the most of this opportunity.
Since our inception as an Industry Training Organisation back in 1994, we have supported tens of thousands of learners into life changing qualifications, and we look forward to supporting tens of thousands more into the future as part of Te Pūkenga.
Ngā mihi nui
Rod Bentham Executive Director Te Pūkenga, trading as Careerforce
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Free enrolment on Health & Wellbeing Level 2 and 3
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Here's a reminder about our Winter Booster promotion to help address workforce development challenges and financial pressures that many in our health and wellbeing sectors continue to face. We are offering:
- Free enrolment on all New Zealand Certificate in
Health & Wellbeing Level 2 & 3 programmes – Employer-Led Enrolments
- Half-price enrolment on all New Zealand Certificate in Health & Wellbeing Level 2 & 3 programmes – Full-Service Enrolments
This is for domestic enrolments only. For employer-led enrolments, the employer assigns one of their own workplace-based staff members (registered assessor) to provide assessment support to the learner. For full-service enrolments, learners are assigned an assessor by Careerforce. This offer is available until 5pm, Friday 29 September 2023.
For more information including terms and conditions, visit our website here, download the flyer or contact your Careerforce Workplace Advisor.
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Te Pūkenga 2022 Annual Report
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The Te Pūkenga 2022 Annual Report has now been released. It's the first Annual Report to capture all 25 entities (including Careerforce) brought together as Te Pūkenga.
Te Pūkenga Chief Executive Peter Winder says the report records significant achievements in addressing the skills needs of ākonga (learners) and employers.
Read the Annual Report via the link below.
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From tragedy to a career change for mental health graduate
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Richard MacDonald lost his son to suicide.
The tragedy led him to pursue a role supporting others with the same mental health issues his son had struggled with. “I made a decision that I wanted to help support people in my community,” says Richard.
Mental health wasn’t the path Richard originally chose for himself. He had spent fifteen years in dairy farming, and seventeen years as a painter.
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Working in mental health meant learning new skills. Richard had also experienced his own addiction and mental health issues, and understood some of the environments where alcohol and violence were prevalent, and where kids like his son had hung out.
This understanding meant the learning came relatively easily. Last year, and supported by his employer, Te Oranganui, Richard successfully completed his Level 4 Apprenticeship in Mental Health and Addiction Support with Careerforce | Te Pūkenga.
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Fees Free Some of your learners may be eligible for the Government’s Fees Free scheme. For more information on what Careerforce programmes are covered by Fees Free and to watch a simple video to determine learner Fees Free eligibility, >>Read More
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Apprenticeship Boost Eligible employers can receive $500/mth Apprenticeship Boost payments for apprentices within their first 24 months. Apprenticeship Boost was recently extended to December 2024. >>Read More
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Drop-in sessions to help your learners progress their learning
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Here's a chance for your staff to chat with Careerforce advisors and get some help to progress their programme. We've started to run face to face sessions mainly in parts of the North Island to help support them with their learning. The sessions in
the table below are currently scheduled, but we will be adding more across the country. They can drop in either for the whole time or as long as they are able. We're happy to support them.
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We know that learners benefit from the opportunity for face to face engagement, and have had great feedback from the sessions to date.
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Support for Pasifika and Māori learners
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We provide a number of resources and supports for learners who identify as Māori or Pasifika. This support also includes face to face learner sessions. Please check out these pages for Māori learners and Pasifika learners and to see which face to face sessions are planned in your area.
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Discontinution of graduation badges and honours boards
As we become part of the national Te Pūkenga network, we are naturally looking at how we can align our current practices and processes. We are currently the only division (out of 24)
that supplies graduation badges (Level 2 & 3), and they do represent a substantial annual cost. As a result, the decision has been made to discontinue these from 1 October. Our graduates will continue to receive formal qualification certificates in presentation folders.
Many years ago, Health Education Trust (HET) was merged into Careerforce, and as part of this, we continued their practice of Honours Boards and the associated tags. Over recent years, demand for these has shrunk dramatically, and as a result, the decision has been made to discontinue the supply of these from 1 October. No further stocks of the Honours Board tags will be purchased. We absolutely still encourage our employers to publicly recognise their staff’s professional development via whatever means and channels you have available.
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74-year-old making an impact for disabled people in her community
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Neri Johnson is busting the myth that your seventies is a time to slow down.
Neri works for CCS Disability Action supporting disabled people in the Christchurch community. Neri also chairs two community organisations which improve social connection and reduce social isolation and loneliness. She was also recently recognised by the Philippines government with an award for Services to the Community, equivalent to the New Zealand Order of Merit.
Neri says, “I think age is something to be celebrated and not to be scared of. Age is not a barrier. I’d like to inspire people that way. You steer the boat where you want it to go. Life is what you make it! Look at me I’m still doing something quite amazing!”
Above, Neri proudly shows off her certificate at her graduation, joined by Careerforce’s Andy Bunn to the left, and the CSS Disability Action team
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Re-opening of the Primary Care Practice Assistance Apprenticeship programme
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We’re excited to announce the re-opening of the Primary Care Practice Assistance (PCPA) apprenticeship programme. We began accepting new enrolments on 18 August 2023.
The PCPA apprenticeship is largely for people working across administrative and clinical support roles in primary care across the Healthcare Services sector and leads to the New Zealand Certificate in
Health and Wellbeing (Level 4).
- 122 credits
- Expected duration 20 months
- Cost $2,000 (inc GST)
In August 2022, a decision was made to close the programme following limited enrolment numbers. We have since listened to further feedback from the employers we
work with in this sector and responded to the demand to reintroduce the programme. We have also revised learning resources and assessments to better support the needs for ākonga (learner) success.
For more information, please refer to our website here. You can view or download the new flyer here.
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Important updates to the Youth Work (Level 3) Programme
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This programme consists of nine unit standards. Five of these unit
standards are expiring on 31 December 2023. These are: 16850, 16856, 16857,
22257 and 32202 It is strongly recommended that ākonga complete assessments for these five expiring unit standards by 31 October 2023 so that marking, any re-assessments required, and results reporting can be completed by the assessors before 31 December 2023.
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Careerforce programme durations
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Programme durations have been raised in recent discussions with us, largely in relation to recent changes in immigration settings. We wanted to set some context around ‘programme durations’, what they mean, and what you need to be aware of.
All Careerforce programmes have ‘expected durations’ and which are based on their credit value. They are set by the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) and while they are largely for funding purposes, they do set an expectation around the expected time for an average work-based learner to complete a programme.
However, Careerforce programmes are all competency based – people can progress at their own pace as they provide evidence that they have demonstrated the competencies/learning outcomes as outlined in the unit standards that make up their training programme.
Importantly however, our programmes are also all work-based, recognising that the learner is first and foremost an employee, not a student. All learners progress and complete at a different pace, and contingent upon a number of factors. These include, for example, their prior level of knowledge and experience, the level of support provided by the employer (e.g. paid study time), and the level of learner motivation to complete.
If you require more information, please contact your Careerforce Workplace Advisor
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More programme options for your learners
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Being part of the Te Pūkenga network means that there are many more learning options to choose from for your staff. Check out the following online programmes delivered by Open Polytechnic | Te Pūkenga:
- New Zealand Certificate in Te Reo (Bilingual) (Level 1)
- New Zealand Certificate in Computing (Foundation User) (Level 2)
- Communication for Learning (Level 3)
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New Zealand Certificate in Business (Administration and Technology) (Level 3)
- New Zealand Certificate in Business (First Line Management) (Level 4)
Select 'Read More' to see our full range of programmes. You will see that Open Polytechnic | Te Pūkenga programmes are clearly identified.
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Find out more about:
- Apprenticeship Boost >>More
- 2023 Prospectus >>More
- Jobs for Good - you can list your vacancy for free >>More
- Free Counselling for all Careerforce | Te Pūkenga learners >>More
- Careerforce Qualification Programmes >> More
- Gateway and Vocational Pathways >>More
- How to contact your local Careerforce Workplace Advisor >>More
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