Last month, the Prime Minister opened He Toki Kai Te Rika, our new trades training centre in Forth St, Dunedin.
The name, given by Kāi Tahu, can be interpreted as ‘‘a tool for the hand’’ and commemorates an archaeological discovery in the mid-1980s made when Otago Polytechnic’s Harbour Tce campus was being developed.
Three adze blades and a pounamu chisel used by early Māori were found at the site and remain at the polytechnic.
The taonga and the name they inspired are a powerful reminder that since the foundation of Ōtākou — Otago, the pursuit of new frontiers of knowledge and skills have always been at the heart of our prosperity. What would those tīpuna (ancestors) have made of today’s technology?
We also need to imagine what generations to come will make of the effort we’re putting in now to prepare for the future.
According to the Otago Regional Skills Leadership Group, the region has $23 billion worth of major infrastructure projects in the pipeline, including the new hospital upgrade.
The group estimates this is going to require an additional 4900 extra workers in the construction sector. Where is this significant increase in workforce going to come from?
As a province, it’s of great importance to us that many locals are empowered to leverage the economic development opportunities accompanying such a significant capital investment.
However, to maximise this potential requires a co-ordinated effort from those of us in vocational training — in partnership with iwi, industry, schools and communities.
Otago and Southland are playing a key role in working together, not just for our learners, but the whole country.
In the same week He Toki Kai Te Rika was launched, the results of the Otago Regional Service Delivery Trial were released.
One reason it was important to bring all training providers together under the umbrella of Te Pūkenga — New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology was because apprentices and the companies they worked for were finding it hard to navigate a system where different providers were delivering sometimes quite different programmes in different ways with different costs and levels of support.
A recent 16-month trial involving about 100 carpentry apprentices enrolled with Otago Polytechnic, the Southern Institute of Technology and BCITO saw those providers sharing the best approaches in learning resources, learner management platforms and on-campus learning opportunities.
Employer feedback through the trial told us their apprentices were more productive, knowledgeable, confident and engaged as a result.
Given the South has been well served by our polytechnics, healthy scepticism about the benefits of being part of a national network is natural.
However, when we look at the early results of exploring new ways of training for oncoming skills gaps — as well as the scale of meeting those demands — it becomes clear that working together while mobilising all the resources at our disposal is essential.
As regional leaders of Te Pūkenga Rohe Four, which covers Te Tai Poutini (West Coast) Waitaha (Canterbury) Ōtākou (Otago) and Murihiku (Southland), it’s the job of Darren Mitchell and I to make sure people in these regions get the best out of the national network and that their often unique training and workforce needs are met.
— Megan Pōtiki is Te Pūkenga Rohe 4 co-leader.
