While Otago Polytechnic says the changes "will largely mean the status quo" for the institution, opponents are calling it a "soft-privatisation" of vocational training and education.
Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds, who announced a suite of changes to work-based learning yesterday, said the present apprenticeship uptake and completion rate was "simply not good enough".
"At the moment it’s under 50% completion for apprentices.
"We want more employers taking on apprentices, because they think it’s less complicated, they think it’s better aligned to their industries, because at the moment only between 10% and 20% of employers take on apprentices."
When the previous government created mega-polytechnic Te Pūkenga, it included six workplace development councils.
But Ms Simmonds said as a result, work-based training became too centralised, and too distant from industry needs.
Her new approach would let industries create six to eight industry skills boards to set training standards, endorse programmes and moderate assessments.
The boards will feature typically eight governors, of whom two will be government-appointed and six selected by the industry.
"We had very strong industry feedback that industries wanted to be in control.
"They wanted to control what their qualifications looked like, who did the delivery and they wanted to control the quality assurance of them.
"So this is putting industry back where they wanted to be in the driver’s seat of their own work-based learning."
Anyone presently undertaking an apprenticeship through Te Pūkenga would be shifted to the relevant skills board system within two years.
"So, if you’re a learner or an employer — keep going.
"Your qualifications are essential, and your training is valuable. There will be no disruption, your training stays on track."
Ms Simmonds said she did not foresee major disruption as a result of the changes.
"But we want to supercharge apprenticeship rates."
Individual polytechnics will be able to oversee industry training, if the industry desires.
Green MP Francisco Hernandez said learners and staff deserved certainty but yesterday’s announcement "just further fuels the fire on the fog of confusion emanating from the wreckage of the reform efforts".
"We are concerned that the minister appears to be directly endorsing private providers filling the void of the chaos that this government’s efforts have left the tertiary sector in.
"We’ve already seen staff and course cuts right across the country — including second language learning here at Otago Polytechnic.
"Instead of attempting to soft sell the privatisation of the vocational education sector, the minister should instead be providing support and pathways for thriving, independent polytechnics."
Otago Polytechnic deputy executive director Mark Cartwright said the senior leadership team would work to "unpack" the announcement over the coming weeks.
"Our initial response is this decision will largely mean the status quo for Otago Polytechnic in terms of how we presently operate.
"However, the new model may give us the ability to compete more in the work-based learning space in the future, managing all aspects of an apprenticeship or traineeship."
The Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) operations lead Daryl Haggerty welcomed the plan and said this decision would lead to a change in vocational tertiary training locally by offering regional solutions to long term regional training needs.
"Ensuring local industry input and support will be critical to realising the potential of this change."
He believed SIT played a critical role in attracting, training and supporting students into local careers that benefit the province as a whole.
The plan would allow them to consider how best to meet all regional training demand, using all available local on-campus and workplace-based resources, he said.
"By becoming a one-stop-shop for all vocational training in the region, we will provide a wide range of training options for our province, delivered efficiently and to a high standard, to a greater number of local students."
Motor Industry Training Organisation executive director Verna Niao said the government’s decision "will be critical in elevating apprenticeships and trades training in New Zealand".
"Our industries and employers make a significant investment in their workforce development—industry training by industry, for industry."
