MORE YOUNG WOMEN GAIN HIGHER QUALIFICATIONS

"Our future will depend for its wealth on knowledge workers. The frightening fact is that New Zealand is not equipping enough students with science, technology and mathematics qualifications," said Minister of Statistics, Hon Maurice Williamson today.

Mr Williamson was speaking at the launch of the latest Census 1996 publication, Education, in Wellington today. "The 1996 Census showed that around one and three quarters of a million people held an educational qualification, this representing 66% of the usually resident population aged 15 years and over," said the Minister "The most common highest qualification, was a School Certificate pass in one or more subjects. "Of particular concern to me is that New Zealand is producing far too few science and technology graduates.

However good news out of the education statistics is that, the numbers of young women who are gaining high educational qualifications is increasing. Our future work force will require members whose skills converge so that management is represented, for example by research, science, technology, commerce and the arts.

Managers in the new millennium will call on skills of a multi disciplinary nature and most will have a tertiary qualification.