Skills for Good - September 2024: Careerforce turns 30, Mental Health Awareness Week, Support with cost of enrolments and more

Tēnā koutou

Last week, we celebrated our 30th anniversary. This was a special milestone for us, and one that we are immensely proud of. Thank you for being part of our journey to date, and we look forward to continuing this journey with you.

In this issue, we share the results from a recent learner wellbeing and satisfaction survey, and in which Careerforce scored very strongly. We are particularly pleased with these results, and see these as a reflection of a number of learner related activities and interventions we have introduced over recent years.

Submissions have now closed on the Government’s 6-week consultation on the renewed proposal for the redesign of vocational education (including replacement structures for Te Pūkenga). Officials are now analysing over 1000 submissions, with final decisions and announcements not expected until November or December. As has been the case throughout this reform journey, and even our expectation for when decisions are actually made, our focus remains on business as usual with no disruption for our employers or learners.

Ngā mihi nui

Rod Bentham
Executive Director, Careerforce

Last week we celebrated 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 employers, your support and partnership have been vital in shaping our path. Your trust in us has enabled countless success stories.

To your learners, their dedication and passion have been the heart of our mission. Watching them 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!

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.’”

Aimee Rubio is passionate about supporting people to achieve their goals and to be as independent as possible.

Starting as a Flexible Supports Coordinator with the Florence Nightingale Agency five years ago, Aimee’s focus was giving choice and control to people to support them to stay in their home or community and make a meaningful difference in their lives.

“I was looking for more challenges within our organisation, and was given the opportunity to look into more training,” says Aimee.

The Level 5 Leadership and Management Diploma stood out to her, and so with support from Careerforce, she embarked on the 18-month programme. Aimee completed the Diploma and has secured a leadership role as Client Services Manager with the agency.

Having completed the Diploma, she looks at things in a different way now and can strategically look at her tasks to better support her team and the work they do.
“It has really helped me progress within my role and advance my knowledge and skills,” says Aimee.

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.

Those of you in the mental health and addiction support sector may have support workers, peer support workers or others working with and for people with mental health and addiction issues. In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Week, we'd like to take this opportunity to recognise all of you and your staff and the amazing work that you all do. Thank you!

Do you have learners going through a tough time and needing 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. Your learners should visit our webpage and complete the referral form. You can complete the form on your learners behalf, but please ensure you have their consent.

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

Learner wellbeing and satisfaction survey results
Te Pūkenga run a regular learner wellbeing survey on behalf of all business divisions, including Careerforce. This helps us understand how satisfied learners are with their training experience and monitors their overall wellbeing while they train. The most recent survey results are very pleasing from a Careerforce perspective, and from an equity perspective:

We had the top learner response rate amongst the work-based learning divisions, a strong indicator of learner engagement.
Overall learner wellbeing – 94.1% of Careerforce learners feel their wellbeing is supported during their training (based on their agreement with a series of wellbeing statements). This aligns with our Māori learners (94.3%), and our Pacific learners (97.4%).
Overall learner satisfaction – 93.3% of Careerforce learners are satisfied with their overall learner experience, similar to our Māori learners (95.1%) and our Pacific learners (95.7%).

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 7 of the fund opens soon.

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, learners need to complete the application form here when round 7 opens.

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

Learners 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 learners require any assistance to complete the application, we are happy to help. Learners can contact us at Manaaki.Fund@careerforce.org.nz or on 0800 277 486 (and ask for the Manaaki Fund Team).

A new fund, the Workforce Futures Fund | Tahua Rāngaimahi Anamata, will open in February 2025 for applications to support initiatives in specified industries i.e. Aged support; Cleaning; Disability support; Healthcare services; Home and community health services; Mental health and addiction support; Social services; Urban pest management; and Youth work sectors.

The fund was established with reserves from Careerforce following the transition of our arranging training functions into Te Pūkenga as part of the Reform of Vocational Education.

Community Support Services Industry Training Organisation is the legal entity holding the funds. CSSITO is a charitable company that has registered charity status. Please note that Careerforce no longer has any legal association with CSSITO.

The $15m fund will be spent down via two grant rounds each year over the next three years. This timeframe may change based on the number and type of applications.

The fund’s purpose is supporting innovation in workforce development and demonstrating the value of strategic investment. It will support greater use of technology; collaboration across workforces; and projects that build or improve service delivery. It will fund:

Vocational training, workforce development and education;
Programmes, information and resources to promote best practice and continuous improvement; and
Attracting people to work in the sectors and workforce retention.

The Workforce Futures Fund will open for the first round of applications over a six-week period from mid-February. More details to support application decisions will be released in November, when a website with information will be available.

We will continue to carry updates, but if you’d like to hear future news directly, please fill out this form https://forms.gle/ziiREbUK3sdNNGoS7. In the form you can also ask questions to help make sure future communications answer them.

You may have read our recent emails discussing the issue of academic misconduct among learners. As this is an ongoing concern, we want to ensure that you and your assessors are fully informed and supported in handling these situations.

Academic misconduct - When a learner presents assessment evidence that is not their own, gathered from another learner’s work, or from online resources (including generative AI), or from any other sources.

Careerforce has now developed an end to-end process to Reduce, Detect and Manage academic misconduct.

This process is critical in upholding the integrity of our qualifications, and ensuring that employers have the confidence that their staff have genuinely demonstrated the requisite skills and competence.

We take any such fraudulent activity extremely seriously as it not only undermines the integrity of our training, but also and most importantly, jeopardizes the care and support of some of our most vulnerable people.

If you are in any doubt whatsoever about the authenticity of a certificate or qualification that has been shared with you, you should investigate further. You can ask your staff member to log in to the NZQA website, and access their official Record of Achievement.

Do your learners need some extra support with their training programmes? Our Achieve Study Hubs are face-to-face sessions where they can drop in, ask questions, meet with other learners, and receive help with their learning.

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. We have contacted learners about these sessions and they can RSVP by completing the online form on our website.

Please encourage your staff to attend these Study Hubs. We know that learners who have attended these events have found them very beneficial.

Are you supporting a Māori learner?
Our Rōpū Taupuhipuhi Āmio / National Mobile Support team provides options for kanohi-ki-te-kanohi (face-to-face) kaupapa Māori approach support through wānanga mahi and noho marae. Check out the 2024 schedule on our website.

Are you supporting a Pacific learner?
Our Pacific team understands Pacific learners' needs and are here to help them.
The team runs Talanoa (study support sessions), and face-to-face and online Fono (workshops). Check out the 2024 schedule of Talanoa.