Grow on-job training - much of learning vocational skills is not by studying theory in a classroom, but by observing and performing practical tasks under supervision on a work site. 

Focus:

• Connect industry with schools through an industry, education and government programme of engagement

• Lift civil infrastructure as an aspirational career pathway

• Improve fund decisions for programmes to deliver on-job civil trade skills nationally

• Study how we can overcome systemic barriers (e.g. diversity)

• Young people communicate differently to previous generations. This needs to be acknowledged and supported.

Recommendations:

• Provide funding for the design and delivery of a suite of apprenticeships, i.e. for the actual learning journey. Civil Infrastructure apprenticeships are relatively new (2015), which means most current workplace managers did not come through these pathways. Often managers have come through a University pathway and are now being asked to support the apprentice learning journey. There is no lived experience between apprentices and their managers. These managers need more support to mentor their apprentices.

Improve off-job training:

• Tertiary education structures need to be better streamlined/well connected with civil infrastructure training/skills needs

• Funding decisions for programmes to deliver civil trade skills nationally need to improve

• School leavers need to be better equipped entering the civil workforce

• Civil Trades lack certification as the professional standard, consideration needs to be given to its development

• Support diversity at leadership levels, there exists an absence of diversity, both in terms of gender and ethnicity, at leadership positions.

• Support industry associations to provide civil workforce development leadership

Recommendations:

• Continue to build bite size chunks of learning with flexibility around how training providers deliver these.

• Waihanga Ara Rau needs to ensure we have the right pieces of the puzzle on the framework and that micro-credentials work well together and work well for industry. This would include a review of what’s already on the Framework.

• Promote linkages between tertiary education providers and learning opportunities within secondary schools, e.g. trades academies.

Support new and emerging technology:

• industry training need to evolve to include new technologies which supports industry wide adoption of new high productivity technologies.

• industry training need to evolve to provide industry with future leaders in managing the transition towards a zero carbon sector.

Link social procurement and skills development:

• There needs to be an agreed approach between the industry and its public sector clients around social procurement and national skills development strategies

• Identify how education system can support industry in meeting social procurement requirements (e.g. improve attraction and access to training for underrepresented / diverse groups)

• Improve collaboration between procurement agents, industry and education system (possibly looking at an incremental lifting of the floor of requirements)

Recommendations

• Social procurement initiatives needs to have a focus on career pathways and advocacy. E.g. Apprenticeships are being written into contracts and then not eventuating. Social procurement needs to have stronger and broader outcomes.

• Waihanga Ara Rau needs to look into research around the training aspects of procurement, because right now there’s no clear understanding. Industry could this way be better supported in working with Government to change Government procurement processes.

• A clear set of procurement guidelines for industry needs to be developed. This would contribute to the goal of supporting the training, development and research needs within the civil industry.