Kia ora koutou,
Over the next few weeks, many of you will be welcoming new and returning learners to your campuses and online learning platforms.
Over 2022, you’ll see mahi aimed at building on the support provided to our learners – whether their learning takes place on-campus, online or on the job.
Last month, the Code of Pastoral Care for tertiary and international learners came into effect. The Code will help put the safety and wellbeing of learners at the centre of our systems and practices. Our team have been working with NZQA on material to help learners understand the Code, and have shared this with your teams.
We’ll also be piloting a number of learner wellbeing pilots – the Tuakana/Teina Mentoring Initiatives and Prestart Whakawhanaungatanga Initiative. We want to test ‘practice with potential’ and think about how these initiatives might be scaled across our network – for on-campus, online and work-based learners. We’ll share more about what these pilots look like later in the year.
All of you in the network hold the solutions and examples of what is working for our learners. You know what they need, and what works for your learners. Our job is to work out how we can apply those solutions at scale so all learners can benefit.
These are part of the work which will help us lay the foundations to better support all of our learners across the motu.
Ngā mihi,
Stephen Town
Chief Executive
Our Updates
MITO joins Te Pūkenga whānau
On Wednesday, 2 February, around 120 people came together for a virtual whakatau to formally welcome MITO to our Te Pūkenga whānau. The online event was held in place of an in-person pōwhiri as we continue to respond to COVID-19 restrictions.
MITO transferred to Te Pūkenga Work Based Learning Limited (WBL), a subsidiary of Te Pūkenga, on 1 January 2022. MITO supports on-the-job learning for people working in the automotive, commercial road transport, drilling, gas, mining and quarrying, passenger services and ports and stevedoring industries. MITO supports over 4,000 learners and 3,000 employers and maintains over 70 training programmes for the industries it serves.
We’re thrilled to have MITO in the whānau. You can read more about the welcome on our website.
Operating Model update
First, thank you to everyone who shared their views and time with us during the proposed Operating Model engagement last year. The summary report, which includes an analysis of what we heard from you is available on our website.
Since last year’s engagement, and thanks to your feedback, we have extended the Operating Model Programme Team to make sure we’re ready to support the work ahead. The new team structure includes four workstream leads, a Programme Manager, a Communications Lead and Change Lead who will work with the team from within Te Pūkenga. The wider team also includes a range of specialists, all dedicated to delivering the Operating Model. With deadlines fast approaching we expect a few more people will join the team and help us deliver the Operating Model.
Managing the Operating Model work through four streams, means that each can move at the required speed while staying connected. The workstreams cover the following:
- Accelerating Enabling Functions: Developing and consulting on the functional model(s) for enabling (i.e. corporate) functions that would benefit from early implementation.
- Delivery: Developing and consulting on the functional model for the functions that are not part of the Accelerating Enabling Functions workstream, for example Ako Networks.
- Early Mover ITPs: Developing and testing an approach to folding some ITP subsidiaries into Te Pūkenga before the dissolution date of 31 December 2022.
- WBL Transition: Continuing the work started in 2021 to manage of the Transition of TITOs into WBL and Te Pūkenga
We also will be hosting the first meeting of the Operating Model Working Group next week, which now includes some CEs from ITP subsidiaries and TITOs as well as Directors from WBL business divisions.
Right now, our team is planning the year ahead, with a focus on delivery and engagement. We know there is a lot of interest and support for this project so will be sharing regular updates.
COVID-19 Case and Contact management
As we move into the next phase of managing COVID-19, tertiary providers now have a responsibility to play an active role in case and contact identification efforts. To support this shift, the Ministries of Education and Health have released a toolkit and step-by-step guide to managing COVID-19 at tertiary institutions.
The toolkit includes flowcharts for how to respond to potential and confirmed cases of COVID-19 and key questions to ask when identifying contacts. These flowcharts will be useful in planning your contact tracing system. Through your Single Point of Contact at TEC, you will get access to the Contact Tracing Upload Tool to share your contact tracing information with Public Health agencies.
This new approach from the Government highlights the importance of having a contact tracing system in place for all staff, learners and visitors onsite. The system will include elements, such as official NZ COVID-19 Tracer QR code posters, class attendance sheets, electronic class sign-in systems, timetable records, and so on.
The responsibility of tertiary institutions is to do what is reasonably practicable and pragmatic.
Aromātai Kaimahi survey open for two more weeks
By now, all permanent and fixed term ITP employees in the network should have received an email to complete Aromātai Kaimahi – a short survey to check in with you about the transition to Te Pūkenga.
We’ve received just under 3000 responses since the survey opened last Wednesday, which is around 35.7 percent of our network – a huge thank you to all of you for sharing your thoughts.
For everyone who hasn’t completed the survey yet, it’s important that you let us know how you’re thinking and feeling right now. The survey is anonymous, and we use a third-party survey provider to keep the results confidential, so please be open and honest when you share your thoughts.
You have until 5pm, Wednesday 23 February to complete the survey.
If you haven’t received a link or have misplaced it, please email support@askyourteam.com with your name and organisation and they will share the link with you.
Our updated values focus on our vision from a te ao Māori worldview
Some of the members that make up Te Pūkenga Ohu Reo Me Ngā Tikanga including Amomai Pihama, Mataia Keepa and Rangi Mātāmua have taken the essence of our vision and values and created simple and meaningful rerenga (phrases) that speaks to who we are as an organisation.
By authoring our own whakatauākī (proverb) that captures the essence of our vision ‘whakairohia he toki, tāraia te anamata’ we are incorporating Tirohanga Māori (Māori worldview thinking) into our mahi, which also aligns with the whakapapa of our name. We have taken the same approach in solidifying our values.
These values are integral to Te Pukenga and the mahi we do, they also provide our current kaimahi (staff) a sense of unity of purpose as we continue to build our oranisational culture together. Several subsidiaries have also taken steps to align their values to these, but this isn’t to say that we all have to do the same, we acknowledge that just as our values are important to our team, we respect your established values being part of your subsidiary as well.
We have created a video demonstrating what the values mean for us at Te Pūkenga.