Share
              E M P L O Y E R   N E W S L E T T E R   |  J A N U A R Y    2 0 2 3   
In this Issue
Careerforce now a business division of Te Pūkenga
Learners may be eligible for Fees Free
Grant Cleland receives ONZM, services to disability

Understanding dyslexia

Welcome to Careerforce's January update
Kia ora and happy new year from the Careerforce whānau

We hope that the year has started off well for you, and that 2023 is shaping up to be a less challenging year than the last few years have posed for many of our employers. For Careerforce, 2023 will be a continued year of change as the Te Pūkenga organisation takes shape, and our staff transition into new national and regional teams. Our priority however remains on ensuring that this all happens seamlessly in the background, with no disruption for our employers and learners.

With the expiry of the Government’s Targeted Training & Apprenticeship Fund (TTAF) at the end of 2022, we had a significant surge in enrolments across the latter months of 2022. Consistent with the story below around learner activity, our shared priority is to now get these newly enrolled learners active in their learning and completing assessments. We know that if we can get learners achieving credits within the first three months of their enrolment, they are significantly more likely to go on and complete their qualification. We’re very keen to work with you to help these learners gain some initial traction, and confidence, in their learning journey with us.

Nga mihi nui

Rod Bentham
Executive Director
Te Pūkenga, trading as Careerforce

 
Careerforce becomes a business division of Te Pūkenga
Integration of Te Pūkenga Work Based Learning Limited into Te Pūkenga

As you may be aware, on 1 September Careerforce became a business division of Te Pūkenga Work Based Learning (WBL) Limited, a subsidiary of Te Pūkenga— New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology (Te Pūkenga). From 1 January 2023, the WBL subsidiary is no longer a separate legal entity and the business divisions of WBL (including Careerforce) became divisions of it’s parent entity Te Pūkenga.

Please note that despite these structural changes, our day to day activities and our engagement with our employers and learners continues as normal.

Due to the Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund and Careerforce grants given since mid-2020, most of you won’t have received an invoice from Careerforce for some time. Therefore, please take note of the key points below.

Name change
Effective from 1 January 2023, our legal name has changed from Te Pūkenga Work Based Learning Ltd trading as Careerforce to Te Pūkenga trading as Careerforce. Please update our name in your finance system to reflect this.

Important note:  The parent body entity of Careerforce prior to 1 September 2022 with the legal name Community Support Services ITO Limited remains trading, and so we recommend setting up a new separate vendor in your system to avoid errors or confusion between the two separate entities.

New Bank Account
From 1 September 2022, we have had a new bank account and any invoices issued to you from that date and going forward should be paid to Westpac 03-0826-0168758-000 (details will be on the invoice).

Any invoices you received before 1 September 2022 should be paid to Community Support Services ITO Limited and the bank account is given on the invoice.

GST
Our GST number is 136-499-076 (unchanged from 1 September 2022).

New Zealand Business Number (NZBN)
The NZBN that applies from 1 January 2023 is the business number of Te Pūkenga: 942 904 809 2685.

For more detailed information about the changes, including a high level view the legislation changes, please refer to the following document.

Our contact details remain unchanged and please continue to send all invoices and queries to accounts@careerforce.org.nz.
Learner Fees Free Eligibility
With the ending of the Targeted Training & Apprenticeship Fund, the Government’s Fees Free scheme is again available. 'Read More' for more information on what Careerforce programmes are covered by Fees Free and to watch a simple video to determine learner Fees Free eligibility.
Non-Domestic Learner Enrolment Fees
 
In our December newsletter, we had a story about the introduction of non-domestic learner fees. We are fortunate that most non-domestic visa holder learners enrolling in Careerforce Health & Wellbeing programmes are exempt from international fees.

The programmes below however are not eligible for a non-domestic learner subsidy (not on Government ‘green list’, and nor is there a Sector Agreement). As a result, non-domestic (international) fees will apply, and these have now been finalised as below.
 
Further information is available on the Tertiary Education Commission website.

*Visas must be valid for the entire duration of the proposed training programme to be eligible for enrolment.
Lifting learner activity levels
Across 2022, we worked with well over 2000 employers to support nearly 20,000 learners across Aotearoa. We receive Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) funding to support our activities, and one of the key metrics that we get judged by, is our activity rate – that our learners are learning and achieving credits. Our 2022 activity rate was lower than previous years, and we know there are multiple reasons for this, not least of which is the lingering challenges of Covid-19 and the resulting demands upon a very constrained workforce.

Lifting this activity rate and ongoing achievement of credits is a key priority for Careerforce in 2023, and we are very keen to work with employers to understand how we can better support you, and your staff in their learning and assessment. Ultimately, we all want the same thing, for our learners to complete their qualifications, and which supports both their career progression potential, and their effectiveness in their roles.
Over 2022, we refreshed our monthly [emailed] employer reporting to make these easier to read and particularly to help you identify staff who may require additional support in their learning to get them back on track. We encourage you to take the time to review these reports, and please let us know if you don’t currently receive these, but would like to.
Grant Cleland receives ONZM for services to disabled people
Grant Cleland was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the recent 2023 New Year Honours list, for his services to disabled people.

Careerforce Executive Director, Rod Bentham congratulates Grant and also acknowledges his tremendous contribution to Careerforce’s work-based learning over the years.
 
Grant Cleland
“I wish to acknowledge Grant’s active participation in our LEAD Group (Lived Experience Advisory – Disability), formerly the ‘Disability Advisory Group’.  Since 2019, Grant has been instrumental in supporting the design of Careerforce’s disability programmes, ensuring the disability sector is respected, represented and visible in our Health and Wellbeing programmes.”

Grant has supported the development of the New Zealand Certificates in Health and Wellbeing Level 3 and 4 (disability), as well as the Employment Support specialisation of the Level 5 Diploma in Health & Wellbeing. 'Read More' for Grant's full New Year Honours citation.
 
Sharing the success of our learners
A leap of faith into a career in mental health and addiction support
Dyslexia no barrier to success for diversional therapy apprentice
Vincent Brown has proven that “taking a leap of faith” into the unknown can be just the ticket to landing a dream career.

The 27-year-old from Whāngarei is working alongside people in his community to support their mental wellbeing, and is excited by where his career is taking him.

Vincent has just completed his Apprenticeship in Mental Health and Addiction Support and is now in a management role with Arataki Ministries, one of Northland’s largest non-government organisations that provides support for people through transitional housing, community support services, health coaching and more.
Support worker Joanne Hood is overcoming the challenges of dyslexia to succeed as a diversional therapist and bring joy to people’s lives.

Joanne lives with Irlen Syndrome, a particular type of dyslexia, where the brain is unable to properly process visual information, because of sensitivity to certain wavelengths of light. She quit school early after being told by some of her teachers that she was dumb and would never get anywhere. Her dyslexia was not picked up until much later.

With support from her employer Alzheimers Manawatu, and Careerforce, Joanne is completing a New Zealand Apprenticeship, to become a qualified diversional therapist.
 
 
Understanding Dyslexia
Dyslexia is an applied neurodiversity that is not considered a health condition.  It affects language processing and can lead to difficulty with reading and writing.  However, people with dyslexia often show real strength in big picture skills like problem solving, creativity, and thinking outside the box.  They also tend to be very observant and have high levels of empathy.

For a list of famous people who are high-achievers in their fields, who also happen to be dyslexic, have a look at this website: https://www.dyslexia.com/about-dyslexia/dyslexic-achievers/all-achievers/.

With good support and encouragement, dyslexic adults can do well in programmes of study.  This year we will be running sessions on dyslexia awareness and tips for supporting trainees with dyslexia in our Assessor Hubs. These hubs are valuable (and free) professional development for your trainers and assessors.  Look out for dates and venues of the hubs in your area.

For more information on dyslexia, here are some helpful websites:
2022 Annual Employer Survey
Thank you to those of you who took the time to complete our sixth annual employer survey. We will be carefully analysing the results and your specific feedback over the coming months, and determining what improvements we need to make. As with previous years, we will share the topline results with you over the coming months.
 
Updates to programmes
There are a number of updates to various Health & Wellbeing programmes, including the following upcoming new releases:

Health & Wellbeing (Level 3) Orderly Services Strand
Enrolments for the latest version of the Orderly Services Strand open on Thursday 9 February 2023. The last day for enrolling in the current version is 3 February 2023.

Health & Wellbeing (Level 3) Newborn Hearing Screening Strand
Version 2 of the Newborn Hearing screening stand will now be released in late March 2023.

NZ Apprenticeship in Brain Injury Rehabilitation Support (Level 4)
As of 16 December 2022, any training agreements we receive for this programme are now being enrolled into version 2. There are some changes to the programme’s modules and you can read our communications about these changes here.

Does your organisation have a vacancy? List yours for free!
If you have a vacancy, make sure you don't miss out. Jobs for Good is a free job portal connecting employers in the health and wellbeing, social and community, cleaning and urban pest management sectors with jobseekers looking for meaningful employment. Jobs for Good is free, it’s easy to list vacancies, and it’s super-targeted to support workers.
Encouraging LGBTQI to join sector
This year for the first time, Careerforce, led by our Apprenticeship Advisor, Kailash Devan, will have a stall at the Big Gay Out on Sunday 12 February and we would love for all of you to join us. It will be fun event, to promote diversity and an opportunity to encourage the LGBTQI community to enter the health and wellbeing sectors. The event is at Coyle Park, 528 Pt Chevalier Road, Point Chevalier, on 12 February 2023, from 11am.
Please use the most up-to-date Training Agreements and other forms
It is important that workplaces use the most up to date Training Agreements.
From 31 March 2023 we will only accept versions of Training Agreements with '12 December 2022' or later in the footer. Current versions of Training Agreements can be accessed from the forms page on the Careerforce website.  It's important that you use the latest form, as these documents are frequently updated. This also applies to other forms, such as the Organisation Registration Form, or the Standalone Unit Standard Application.
Popular links
Find out more about:
  • 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
 
Please share with your colleagues
We hope you're enjoying Skills for Good, and encourage you to share our newsletter with your colleagues.  We also welcome your feedback. Contact us.

Sign up here to receive the Skills for Good Newsletter
If you have been forwarded this email and wish to keep receiving these updates, please >>Sign Up Here


Facebook
 
Linkedin
 
Youtube
 
Website
 


Email Marketing by ActiveCampaign