Apprenticeship Journey - March 2025: Planning for 2025, New Facebook group, learner support and more

It's hard to believe we’re into March already, but here we are. Have you had a chance to think about your study plan for the year? How much time can you devote to your studies each week? What time of day is best for you? How can you carve out time for yourself to study? These are important questions.

We encourage you to make a study plan for yourself if you haven’t already. Regular study sessions will keep you progressing, engaged, and on your way to achieving the completion of your programme.

Are you stuck on a question or topic? Contact your apprenticeship advisor or manager and ask for support. They also want to see you succeed. You may also be able to seek support from colleagues who may have completed the same qualification, and who have been in your shoes.

You may be aware that we hold Achieve Study Hubs around the country. Learners can come to ask questions, talk to an assessor, meet other learners, get study tips, and have a place to study. Come along if you can. See the article below about Achieve Study Hubs. More information, dates and venues, and how to register is available here.

As an apprentice, it’s important to pace your learning. Even though it’s great to stay motivated, here are some reasons why pacing your studies can be helpful:

Better understanding: Taking your time helps you understand the material more deeply. Rushing through, can mean missing important details or struggling to keep up.
Reduced stress: Pacing your learning helps avoid feeling overwhelmed or stressed. It allows you to focus on one topic at a time, which can lead to better results.
More retention: When you learn at a comfortable pace, you're more likely to remember what you've studied. Taking breaks and reviewing the material helps keep it in your memory.
Stronger skills: Learning step-by-step builds stronger skills. By not rushing, you can practice and apply what you've learned in real situations, making you more confident.
Time for support: Pacing your learning gives you time to ask questions or get extra help if you need it, making sure you don’t fall behind.

We encourage you to stay consistent and keep a steady pace so you don’t lose momentum. Small steps forward every day can lead to great progress.

IMPORTANT - only submit one task at a time
Please remember, when completing your apprenticeship assessments, it is important that you ONLY submit ONE task within a module for marking at a time. Feel free to work on other tasks, but please don’t submit these until the first task has been assessed. This is because we need to give you feedback to help guide you, before you move forward to the next one.

To celebrate the launch, we are running an exciting competition where you can win a $50 voucher Here’s how to participate:

Join the Apprenticeship Facebook Group via this link.
Send us (Careerforce) a direct message (DM) with your best study tips to help fellow apprentices succeed.

The competition will close midnight on Sunday, 13 April 2025, so make sure to enter before the deadline.

We look forward to welcoming you to the group and hearing your valuable study tips and tricks.

In November, and as a Careerforce learner, you were invited to participate in a Te Pūkenga-wide learner wellbeing survey. Thank you to those of you who completed this survey, which is conducted twice annually, and aims to monitor the wellbeing of our learners across the country.

The results have now been collated, and we are pleased to be able to share some key results:

Our learners are highly satisfied with us - 94.9% agree with the statement ‘overall, I am satisfied with my experience at Careerforce.’
Our learners are highly likely to recommend Careerforce to others - Careerforce [learner] Net Promoter Score (NPS) is 44.2.
Our learners have a high level of overall wellbeing - 94.7% of Careerforce learners agree that their overall wellbeing is supported while training.

Ten years ago, Melissa Hunt started at Wairarapa Care Network (now Waicare Day Activity) as a kitchen hand peeling potatoes and doing the dishes.

“I saw all the fun the attendees and staff were having, so I approached my boss and asked if there was an opportunity for me to progress,” she says.

Beginning her studies with a Level 2 Health and Wellbeing qualification, Melissa progressed to Level 3. She then pursued the Level 4 Apprenticeship in Diversional Therapy. Now Melissa manages the elderly day care centre.

Anastasia (Stacey) Bell is an Activities Coordinator at Christchurch’s Burlington Village Care Centre, where she is completing an 18-month Apprenticeship in Diversional Therapy with Careerforce.

Starting her apprenticeship a year ago, Stacey says she loves how it backs up what feels instinctive to her in her day-to-day work. “The apprenticeship has boosted my confidence and helped me advocate better for residents.”

Stacey has gone to extraordinary lengths to create wonderful experiences for those she supports, even arranging a casino visit for one resident, an outing that gave lasting memories for the resident and his family to share.

Are you 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 current 2025 schedule on our website.

Are you 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 current 2025 schedule of Talanoa.

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 11 - Applications open:
23 March – 5 April 2025
Applicants notified: 21 April 2025

Successful applicants will receive a one off payment of $400 to help with alleviating financial barriers. Find out about the criteria for eligibility and how learners can apply for funding.

Are you struggling with your learning due to physical or mental health concerns or stress?

We’re committed to promoting a healthy learning environment where Careerforce enrolled learners can talk to someone confidentially about their wellbeing when they need to.

Talk to your Assessor OR complete the referral form to connect with a Careerforce Wellbeing Advisor.

Support is available via phone, text, email, Teams, or in-person (location dependent).

Take the first step
Visit our website and complete the online form:

We work with a group of people who have lived experience to make sure our programmes are easy to use and helpful. We also try to find out the needs of disabled learners or those struggling with English early in their learning.

Our online platform, Aka Toi, is always being updated to help learners with different needs. We also give advice on tools that can support learners and we help them use these tools. We also offer more time to finish assessments if needed.

If you need any support, please talk with your apprenticeship advisor or manager or get in touch with us. We will do our best to help you succeed.

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, we call this ‘academic misconduct’. This is sometimes referred to as ‘academic dishonesty’ or ‘academic integrity’.

How to avoid it – Use your own words

Remember, when completing your assessments, use your own experiences. Writing about these familiar experiences will make it easier to complete your assessments. Also remember to use your own words. Don't worry about your use of English grammar. We are not marking you on your use of English.

>>More information

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? It's never too early to think about what to study next.

For those of you coming to the end of your Level 4 Apprenticeship, this is a good time to consider if a Level 5 Diploma is the next step for you.

The Level 5 Diplomas we offer are:

The Diploma in Business (Leadership and Management) Level 5 >>More
The Diploma in Health and Wellbeing (Applied Practice) Level 5, offered in the following specialisations/contexts: >>More

Community and Public Housing
Disability Community Support
Financial Mentor
Family Violence Sexual Violence
Health Coach
Mental Health Community
Mental Health and Addiction Peer Support
Mental Health Forensic Services
Positive Behaviour Support
Reintegration/Rehabilitation (Prisoner Reintegration Services)
Trauma informed therapeutic care and education
Whānau Support
Youth Support
Employment Support

Contact your apprenticeship advisor if you'd like to chat about what to do next.

As part of our continuous improvement process, we are excited to introduce some visual changes to sections of our Learning Management System, Aka Toi.

These updates are designed to:

Improve user experience, enhance navigation and simplify content.
Improve mobile responsiveness.
Enhance accessibility.

As an Aka Toi user, you should experience:

New visually improved dashboards and content.
Quick links to ease navigation to certain areas on Aka Toi.
Simplified 'how to guides' and resources.

We hope you find these improvements helpful.

NOTE: This update does not apply to any of the modules/unit standards on Aka Toi.

To strengthen cybersecurity and protect user data, Careerforce is now restricting overseas access to our Learning Management System, Aka Toi. This measure will help to prevent unauthorised access, and cyber threats while ensuring compliance with data protection regulations.

What does this mean for you?

Those of you who use Aka Toi are no longer able to access Aka Toi from outside New Zealand. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our learning environment secure. If you have any queries or concerns, please contact your manager or advisor.