Kia ora koutou
This week, we welcomed Competenz as they joined our whānau, becoming a business division of Te Pūkenga Work Based Learning (WBL), a subsidiary of Te Pūkenga. This is a significant occasion – Competenz being the first transitional Industry Training Organisation to join Te Pūkenga.
On Monday, we marked this by welcoming around 100 Competenz people with a pōwhiri at Wintec in Hamilton, where our Te Pūkenga people are based. Speakers on both sides spoke of the ambitions we all hold for the future of vocational and applied learning before we shared kai together.
Once Te Pūkenga is fully established, we expect around 60 percent of our learners will be work-based, meaning they complete an apprenticeship or training on the job, supported by their employer. Our role will be to support employers and learners through this journey, arranging training for our apprentices and trainees against the standards set by the newly established Workforce Development Councils (WDCs) and informed by the Regional Skills Leadership Groups (RSLGs) and Centres for Vocational Excellence.
As Acting Chief Executive of WBL Fiona Kingsford said on Monday – “We’re building a connected and collective network. We all have a part to play in supporting learners and employers, but if we work together and draw on each other’s strengths, we can do so far more effectively.”
It was a real pleasure to welcome Competenz to our whānau. Days like that reinforce the significance of our mahi – but the team are constantly taking steps towards a more connected and collective network. You’ll see in our recent stories below that over the last month we have released Te Pae Tawhiti Insights Report, have committed to support the growth of the skilled energy workforce, and begun mahi to understand the network’s sustainability position.
We’ll keep up the momentum, and touch base with you again next month.
Ngā mihi nui
Stephen Town
Chief Executive
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