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Finance Minister Steven Joyce and Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister, Paul Goldsmith have today released the Government’s response to the most extensive review of tertiary education in more than a decade, and outlined its plan for delivering a responsive, innovative, and effective tertiary education system.

Finance Minister Steven Joyce, and Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Paul Goldsmith have welcomed the release of the Productivity Commission’s report New models of tertiary education.

“We would like to acknowledge the Commission’s time and effort in considering this issue, and the wide engagement of the tertiary sector in the inquiry,” Mr Joyce says.

A new information sharing agreement between Inland Revenue and the Australian Tax Office has led to the contact details of almost 57,000 student loan borrowers being located across the Tasman, two thirds of whom are in default.

The agreement came into force in October and the details of around 10,000 New Zealanders were found in the first data match. The process has since been refined and a total of 56,897 people have now been located.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has today appointed a Crown Manager to Tai Poutini Polytechnic on the South Island’s West Coast. 

“Council Chair Graeme McNally wrote to me on the 8th of November outlining concerns about the organisation’s financial position and weaknesses in the polytechnic’s educational delivery and processes,” says Mr Joyce. “In the letter Mr McNally and the council requested the appointment of a Crown Manager.”

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has welcomed news that more people are succeeding in industry training programmes.

The new report New Zealand’s Workplace-Based Learners, released today by the Ministry of Education, shows that the industry trainees grew by 11 per cent in 2015. The credit completion rate rose from 69 per cent to 74 per cent, and qualification completion rates are higher than they have ever been, at 53 per cent.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has today announced a $440,000 funding package to promote international education and primary sector skill development in Southland.

The funding supports the Southland Regional Development Strategy Action Plan, which contains a number of initiatives aimed at attracting students and building the region’s skill base.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has today welcomed figures showing a growing proportion of domestic graduates are completing qualifications in STEM-related subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths).

“More people are qualified to move into jobs where STEM skills are required,” Mr Joyce says. “The Tertiary Education Strategy 2015-2019 set a target to prioritise getting industries the skills they needed.  This new report shows that the Government is delivering on that.”

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has opened the Growing Entrepreneurs summit in Auckland, by talking of the importance of entrepreneurs to New Zealand’s longer-term prosperity.

The strong and growing New Zealand job market provides great opportunities to get more Kiwis into life-long careers, say Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce and Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Woodhouse.

The Ministers announced the release today of the 2016 update of the ‘Building Skilled and Safe Workplaces’ chapter of the Business Growth Agenda, which contains 55 current and 12 new initiatives to build sustainable careers and grow productivity in New Zealand.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has today announced $183 million in funding for work-based training in 2017, as the Government announces a new target to have 50,000 people to be training in  apprenticeships by 2020.

Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Steven Joyce and Social Development Minister Anne Tolley have today announced two new Auckland jobs and skills hubs as part of the latest update of the Skilled and Safe Workplaces chapter of the Business Growth Agenda.

“I am pleased to announce new jobs and skills hubs at both the Wynyard Quarter and Tamaki, which will give young people a pathway to employment in the construction sector, as well as on-site numeracy, literacy and practical skills training,” Mr Joyce says.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has today welcomed a report which shows the economic value of New Zealand’s international education industry rose to $4.28 billion last year.

This is a 50 per cent increase from $2.85 billion when the sector was last formally measured in 2014, and places international education (onshore and offshore delivery) as New Zealand’s fourth largest export industry, overtaking wood at $3.82 billion.

Tertiary Education Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce says the Labour Party has completely missed the mark with its idea of marshalling young people into a new make work scheme.

"Labour has completely mis-read the current job market in New Zealand. The problem is not finding enough work for young people, it’s finding enough young people and skilling them up for the work that is already there.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has today welcomed a drop in the unemployment rate to 4.9 per cent, the lowest rate since December 2008.

The latest Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS) shows 35,000 more jobs over the past three months and 3,000 fewer unemployed. Over the past year an additional 144,000 people are in work.

“The Government’s comprehensive economic plan is working for families, as we see more jobs and higher wages helping people get ahead,” says Mr Joyce.

An information exchange agreement with the Australian Tax Office (ATO) has carried out its first match, locating 10,400 student loan borrowers living across the Tasman.

Inland Revenue last week sent an initial list of 104,000 names of New Zealand borrowers who are living overseas to the ATO. Those names matched with the contact details of 10,400 people living in Australia.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce today announced three appointments to the board of Education New Zealand (ENZ).

Charles Finny has been reappointed at Chair, while Karen Rolleston and Linda Sissons are newly appointed board members.

Finance Minister Bill English and Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce have today acknowledged the release of the Productivity Commission’s draft report New and Emerging Models of Tertiary Education.

“The report was commissioned to investigate how trends in technology, tuition costs, skill demand, demographics and internationalisation may drive new and changed business models and delivery models in the tertiary sector,” Mr English says. 

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has today welcomed figures that show the impact of New Zealand’s academic research has been rising when compared with the rest of the world.

A report released today, Profile and Trends, New Zealand’s Tertiary Education Research, shows the rate of citation of New Zealand’s research is now 1.26 times the world average.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has today released an exposure draft of a bill that makes a range of changes to tertiary education legislation.

The proposed Education (Tertiary Education and other Matters) Amendment Bill makes a number of largely technical proposals for legislative change which: 

•         increases the flexibility of funding

•         further strengthens monitoring and compliance

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce and Education Minister Hekia Parata have today announced the release of a new Youth Guarantee Secondary-Tertiary pilot programme, DualPathways.

DualPathways students will be enrolled part-time in secondary school at Year 12 or 13 and part-time in either tertiary education or industry training. The programme will come into effect next year and replaces a small scale Secondary-Tertiary pilot that finishes in December this year.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce and Education Minister Hekia Parata have today welcomed a report which shows the performance of New Zealand’s education sector, at all levels, compares well with those of other developed countries.

The OECD Report, Education at a Glance 2016, measures 35 countries on the output of educational institutions, the impact of learning, financial and human resources invested in education, and participation.

New Zealand’s average annual wage has increased by 25 per cent to $58,000 since 2008, while low inflation means much of the increase is lifting the spending power of Kiwi families.

“Delivering a stronger economy for Kiwi families remains front and centre of the Government’s busy work programme, and it is helping to drive up incomes across the country,” says Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce.

Tertiary Education Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has today congratulated all eight of New Zealand’s universities who are ranked in the top 450 universities worldwide, according the annual Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings. 

The QS Rankings were released today and show six New Zealand universities have improved in the rankings, while all eight are ranked in world’s top 450.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has today announced a new appointment to the board of the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC).

Dale Karauria, currently chair of Careers New Zealand, an organisation whose functions are soon to be transferred to the TEC, will help oversee that transfer in her new role as member of the TEC’s board.