Service sector regional training plans launched

Associate Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Louise Upston has welcomed the launch of 10 regional skills roadmaps to help the service industry tailor training according to the needs of the regional workforce.

The regional roadmaps were developed jointly by the service sector industry training organisation ServiceIQ and the service industries including tourism, hospitality, retail and aviation.

The 10 roadmaps formally launched at an event at Parliament today cover Christchurch, Auckland Tourism, Queenstown Lakes, Northland, Taupō Lakes, Otago-Southland, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Manawatū-Whanganui and Wellington.

Ms Upston says the aim of the roadmaps, developed to deliver specific training according to regional needs, is to better meet forecast regional workforce growth over the next five years.

“Service industries make up a large proportion of our economy and it is forecast that the sector will create 54,000 new jobs over the next five years. I congratulate ServiceIQ for partnering with industry employers to proactively plan and identify the skills needed across the sector in the regions,” Ms Upston says.

“One of this Government’s priorities is to improve the relevance and quality of tertiary education to meet current and future labour market needs. It makes sense that the mix of skills needed to fill future new jobs will differ depending on the employer profile for each region. For example, regions such as Auckland and Queenstown Lakes will see growth in tourism related services.

“Focusing on the regions will help to ensure training for local service workers remains relevant. Local workers will benefit from having the right skills, in the right place, at the right time for work that benefits their community,” Ms Upston says.

A further four skills roadmaps will be available by the end of the year. These include Auckland Retail, Taranaki, Hawkes Bay and Nelson-Marlborough-Tasman-West Coast. Waikato will complete the picture in 2018.  

More information on the roadmaps can be found at http://www.serviceiq.org.nz/wfd/