Big role envisaged for vocational training

VOCATIONAL training institutions such as Otago Polytechnic will play a critical role in New Zealand’s economic recovery from the Covid19 pandemic, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says.

Speaking to the Otago Daily

Times before next week’s Budget, Mr Robertson said that for the much signalled focus on infrastructure projects to help rebuild the economy to be a success, that workforce would need to be well trained.

‘‘We do have to make sure that we have the labour force that we need, and there will be an element of people needing to train and retrain to support that.

‘‘We need courses and programmes to be up and running quickly and delivering in a consistent way. That’s what the Institute Of Skills and Technology is going to be able to do, and individual institutions like Otago Polytech have got a huge role to play.’’

As well as major construction works, workers would be needed for transport and housing projects.

‘‘Across the board, we will be developing and filling in the details of our recovery and rebuild,’’ Mr Robertson said.

‘‘It is not just infrastructure where that needs to happen; we know there are a lot of other areas of our economy and areas of our society where that is needed, too.’’

While Covid19 was the Government’s main focus, it had not forgotten that the North was experiencing drought and that earlier this year Otago and Southland had experienced major floods, Mr Robertson said.

‘‘We are acutely aware of those issues. It remains an important part of what being in government is all about.’’