Minister hears Dunedin leaders’ concerns about centralisation proposal
DUNEDIN leaders have voiced concerns the community, as well as Otago Polytechnic, may suffer if a Government proposal to centralise New Zealand polytechnics goes ahead.
Education Minister Chris Hipkins and Tertiary Education Commission head Tim Fowler spoke at a public meeting on the proposed reforms, attended by about 400 people in the Otago Polytechnic Hub yesterday, including council members and MPs.
About 300 polytechnic staff attended an earlier meeting.
Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull spoke about the failure of centralisation in the past and the importance of Otago Polytechnic’s community involvement, as well as the polytechnic’s links to China, which benefited the wider community.
The Government proposal has led to concerns the Otago Polytechnic and the Southern Institute of Technology, top performers in the field, will lose their autonomy and ability to innovate.
The importance of preserving Otago’s reputation for excel lence — which led it to be awarded the Baldrigeaffiliated Performance Excellence Study Award last year — was mentioned by members of the audience.
Southern District Health Board chief executive Chris Fleming raised the Dunedin Hospital rebuild, which may include a collaborative learning facility with the health board, Otago Polytechnic and the university.
The DHB needed to ‘‘maintain a robust pipeline’’ for its future workforce.
Otago Polytechnic chief executive Phil Ker has written an alternative plan, which the polytechnic has dubbed ‘‘Refine the Reform’’. It would allow institutions to largely retain con trol over their own budgets.
Mr Hipkins told the crowd seeking feedback was ‘‘a genuine consultation exercise’’ and what would become national and what would remain local needed to be decided.
The Government’s proposal involves the establishment of a New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology, with one gov erning council, which would manage all 16 institutes’ capital and operational budgets, staffing, and computer systems for managing their courses.
Consultation is open until
March 27.
Mr Ker said he was pleased with the support for the polytechnic from the audience.
Mr Ker did not present his plan to the meeting, but people were given the opportunity to read key aspects and make their own suggestions.
The plan can be read on the Otago Polytechnic website.
AUCKLAND: Building and construction firms fear proposed changes to apprentice training will cause turmoil in their industry.
They held a summit in Auckland yesterday to discuss the future of work based industry training and the proposed changes put forward by the Government.
Education Minister Chris Hipkins said the move would solve the sector’s financial problems and make better use of taxpayer dollars.
But employers and industry training organisations are concerned.
Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation chief executive Warwick Quinn said it was crucial changes were handled smoothly so employers stayed engaged and took on apprentices.
‘‘It’s the relationship at the sector level with the industries and the trades that sets up the systems they want — the number of block courses, the [amount] of on job or offjob training,’’ he said.
‘‘That relationship seems to be the nugget that holds us all together and makes it successful and if we lose that, we’re likely to be in quite big trouble.’’
Mr Quinn said up to 10,000 more apprentices were needed over the next five years to meet demand.
Master Painters chief executive Brian Miller supported radical change if it was done in the right way. ‘‘The Government seem to be taking a sword to part of the sector that is doing well to fix another part of the sector that it believes needs urgent attention,’’ he said.
Mr Miller said the majority of those at the meeting yesterday wanted the industry to keep control of what qualifications and training was needed.
Martin Goulden started his own building business more than 20 years ago and employed 18 people.
He said all of them, except for two, went through an apprenticeship programme run by industry organisations.
Mr Goulden said how people were trained was vital.
‘‘If changes aren’t wellconsidered and introduced, perhaps without the blessing of employers, [then] brakes [could] get put on the industry,’’ he said.
Mr Hipkins has previously said the new national polytechnic could be set up as early as 2020, but the changes it would bring to vocational training would be introduced much more slowly. He said the sector was currently too fragmented and its proposal would make taking on apprentices more seamless for employers.
Mr Hipkins said apprentices would be wellsupported through any potential changes. Consultation on the Government’s proposals close this month. — RNZ