Trades may slow as students opt for uni
Career advisers expect more people will be taking up university education over trades as Labour rolls out it free tertiary education.
More than 400 careers advisers are expected to be in Invercargill for the next three days to attend the Careers and Transition Education Association New Zealand national conference.
The theme of the conference is ‘‘Change from the south’’ and it will focus on how workforces are changing.
There are six keynote speakers including Sir Michael Hill, Professor Allan Herbison and Lucy Griffiths.
Careers and Transition Education Association NZ Southland president Simon Richardson said he expected careers advisers would see a change in enrolments with Labour rolling out its changes to the education system.
‘‘As in recent years we’ve been seeing the growth of trades and the drop away from tertiary enrolments, and now we could be in for a change again with Labour’s policy.’’
With the education changes coming so late in the year, it may not have an immediate impact on what students have planned for next year, Richardson said.
‘‘They [his students] haven’t responded very passionately, they seem to be holding their course that they had in mind, but I do think that that’s going to lead a bit of a swing back to tertiary education.’’
Work habits are changing are people are no longer sticking to one career.
As a result, more work was being put into schools to encourage students to have a good self-awareness in preparation for the many changes they would make in their lifetime, Richardson said.
‘‘We use the term lifelong learners with students because of that.’’
There there had been a shift to trades when there was a demand during the earthquake rebuilds in Christchurch.
National executive member for the Southland region Brigid More said change was constant and the industry was doing its best to keep up with it.
‘‘Are we preparing young people well for the ever-increasing range of options for them post-school?’’
The challenge for careers advisers was to give advice with a broad enough depth of knowledge of their options, without unduly influencing the student.
The conference at the ILT Stadium Southland starts today.