Apprenticeship Journey - July 2024 - Rugby player completes apprenticeship, mental health support, study sessions and more

Former Black Ferns Sevens and Blues rugby union player Niall Williams represented New Zealand at an international level, at the 2016 Rio Olympics and winning a gold medal in the 2018 Commonwealth games.

In her heart she says she would like to be a professional athlete her whole life, but she knows that’s just not possible and will have to retire eventually.

At 36, Niall, now a semi professional athlete, shows no signs of slowing down. Niall plays for the Titans NRLW rugby league woman’s team on The Gold Coast, while also lending her expertise and experience to the Keebra Park Girls Sports Academy team in her role as specialist coach. She is also busy Mum to two young girls. And, on top of this, Niall has found time to complete a Youth Work apprenticeship with Careerforce.

Knowing that she would have to retire eventually, Niall looked into the opportunities, and the Youth Work Apprenticeship came up through the New Zealand Rugby Players Association (NZRPA).

“What’s really great is having people like Jo [Gresley] who come out and help you one-on-one. For me, it was great when I didn’t quite understand the assessment questions and she was able to sit down with me and talk me through it to give me get a better understanding.

“I love that it’s so adaptable to your situation. Being a pro athlete, having a family, I was able to log in during times that I wanted to get on and get the work done."

Your wellbeing is important to us. We value your feedback

Just a reminder, on 12 June we sent you an email with a short three-minute wellbeing survey to help us improve the wellbeing support we offer all our learners. The survey sent on behalf of Te Pūkenga’s Learner Journey and Experience team, aims to monitor learner wellbeing across the country, and is completely anonymous.

Thank you to those of you who have completed the survey. If you haven't yet, there is still time.

Complete the survey before midday, Friday 5 July 2024, and you can enter a prize draw to win a Digital Prize Pack valued at $2791.00 containing an HP Pavilion 15.6" Laptop, STM Myth 15" 28L Laptop Backpack - Granite Black, Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Adaptive Noise Cancelling Wireless Over-Ear Headphones - Blue Denim and Logitech G604 Lightspeed Gaming Mouse by clicking on a separate link to the prize draw form.

NB You can only complete the survey and enter the draw once.

To start the survey, please click on the link below.
Learner Wellbeing Survey One 2024

We’ve developed a series of valuable learning resources to support you in your learning and study. Whether you’re new to learning, or coming back to learning after some time away, these resources will help make your training journey more effective and successful.

We know that juggling study with work, family and other commitments, can be a struggle. In making the most of your study time, you'll find some tips on managing time and managing yourself to get the most out of your study time. Click the box below for more.

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 all 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. If you're completing the form on your learner's behalf, please ensure you have their consent.

This pilot is generously funded by Te Whatu Ora until 20 December 2024

Do you need some support with your apprenticeship programme? Come to one of our upcoming Achieve Study Hubs. These face-to-face sessions are designed for you to drop in, ask questions, meet with other learners, and to help you with achieving unit standards towards your qualification.

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

Additional 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.
See our Pasifika support page.

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

In the last issue of Apprenticeship Journey we covered the subject of academic misconduct among learners. Over the coming months we will be reviewing our processes around this subject.

The key things to remember are that all assessment work completed must be your own and must be produced without assistance from other trainees or other sources. Where you have used the ideas of other authors, you need to acknowledge all the sources. Learners are reminded that their training agreement requires compliance with the Educational Regulatory Framework of Te Pūkenga: Te Kawa Maiorooro.

It's important to be aware of the serious consequences of academic misconduct.

If you are struggling with any of your assessments, or with literacy, please talk to your manager or assessor. You can also also attend one of our free study workshops across the country, or contact us at Careerforce. Please 'read more' for an overview of academic misconduct. .

Your wellbeing is important to us.

Here's a reminder about the Careerforce Manaaki Fund designed to provide temporary financial assistance to learners facing unexpected hardship that is impacting upon their studies. Round 4 opens soon.

Round 4
Applications open: 8 July – 21 July
Applicants notified: 5 August 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 when applications open.

To be eligible, you must be enrolled in a Careerforce programme and meet all the relevant criteria. For more information, please refer to our FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions).

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 and please contact us at Manaaki.Fund@careerforce.org.nz or on 0800 277 486 (and ask for the Manaaki Fund Team).

Covid-19 cases and hospitalisations have been increasing in recent weeks, prompting officials to say we may be experiencing another wave of the virus. Source Stuff June 2024.

It’s a timely reminder to check out these useful learning resources that provide reminders about hand hygiene and infection prevention. These will help to heighten your awareness about things you can do to be safer. Good hand hygiene and effective infection control are regarded as essential to preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Click on the image above or 'read more' to access the modules.