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Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce today announced appointments to eight tertiary education institution councils, which include four new council members.

“I am pleased to welcome these high-calibre council appointees into their new roles and to welcome the reappointment of a number of council members in recognition of the high-quality governance they have been providing to these institutions,” Mr Joyce says.

High demand for the Government’s Apprenticeship Reboot means the Government has decided to add another 4000 places on top of the 10,000 already funded, Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce says.

The $31.2 million Apprenticeship Reboot was announced in January by Prime Minister John Key, as part of an overhaul of the apprenticeship scheme to get more apprentices qualified and more in priority trades.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce today announced that 89 outstanding New Zealand students have been selected to study at top education institutions in Asia next year as part of the inaugural Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia.

Mr Joyce says the scholarships, which cover study periods from six weeks to two years, will enable undergraduate and postgraduate students to gain a deeper understanding of Asia.

Canterbury's international education industry is showing strong early signs of recovery with a 6 per cent increase in students according to latest data, Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce says.

The International Education Snapshot report released today also shows that high-quality courses in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and postgraduate enrolments continues to trend upward.

The latest enrolment numbers for the tertiary sector are consistent with forecasts, with a slight decline in total numbers for the first eight months of this year.

Overall in January to August 2013 there were 349,000 domestic students enrolled in formal study with tertiary education providers, which is 0.9 per cent less than the same period in 2012. The number of full-time equivalent domestic students was down slightly to 234,855.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce today announced that the Wellington Institute of Technology and Whitireia New Zealand will be investing $13.6 million in a new Regional School of Construction for Wellington.

Speaking at the launch of the Construction Sector Report at WelTec, Mr Joyce said the new initiative will consolidate engineering and construction programmes around the region into two main hubs centred in Petone and Porirua.

New Zealand and China today took the next step in advancing the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) relationship between both countries.

Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment, Steven Joyce, and China’s Vice Minister of Education, Du Zhanyuan, together unveiled a plaque establishing a “Virtual Technical and Vocational Education & Training Research Centre”, to be based at China’s Central Institute for Vocational and Technical Education (CIVTE), in Beijing.

The latest labour market data shows that South Island unemployment continues to be considerably lower than the North Island, with the South Island regions helping lead New Zealand out of the GFC, Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce says.

“While the regional unemployment data does move around quite a lot from quarter to quarter and should be treated with a degree of caution, it’s great to see regions like Otago and Canterbury with unemployment rates with a four in front of them,” Mr Joyce says.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce today launched the ‘New Zealand Education Story’ to provide a clear, consistent view of New Zealand’s international education industry for prospective students and their families.

The ‘New Zealand Education Story’ is based on the ‘New Zealand Story’ global New Zealand branding toolkit launched by the Prime Minister and Minister Joyce in Wellington yesterday.

Latest labour market data shows continuing growth in employment and decrease in unemployment as the economy strengthens, Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce says.

Today’s Household Labour Force Survey shows employment was up by 1.2 per cent – 27,000 people – in the September quarter and 2.4 per cent in the year to September – 53,000 people.

The unemployment rate fell from 6.4 per cent in the previous quarter to 6.2 per cent.

The Government has agreed to provide up to $260 million to the University of Canterbury to support its rebuild programme following the destructive Canterbury earthquakes.

“The Government's contribution will fund a new science centre and expanded and upgraded engineering facilities. These will provide modern teaching and research facilities and cater for more students," Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment, Steven Joyce says.

The Government’s apprenticeship re-boot has already signed up 8000 new apprentices since March says Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister, Steven Joyce.

The Apprenticeship Reboot was announced in January by Prime Minister John Key, as part of an overhaul of the apprenticeship scheme to get more apprentices qualified and more in priority trades. From 1 January 2014 all apprenticeships will be combined into a single nationwide scheme called New Zealand Apprenticeships which will be open to all ages.

Higher qualifications mean higher employability and higher wages for young people says Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce.

The Government has announced a package of new initiatives to encourage further growth in New Zealand's $2.6 billion international education sector.

The latest report on enrolment data from the Ministry of Education shows more New Zealand tertiary students are studying at higher levels, Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce says.

The report, Tertiary Education Enrolments 2012, shows a continuing increase in the number of students enrolling in degree and higher qualifications, particularly amongst students aged 18 to 24 years old.
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In 2012, there were 3,700 more bachelors degree enrolments by domestic students aged 18 to 24 than in 2010 – an increase of 4.3 per cent.

The Government has approved a capital injection of $18.9 million to the Christchurch Polytechnic and Institute of Technology (CPIT) to enable it to further expand its trades training capacity as part of its campus rebuild following the Canterbury earthquakes.

“The Government’s support means that CPIT will be able to expand its Sullivan Avenue facilities to meet further increases in trades training volumes,” Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce says.

Proposed changes to university councils will help New Zealand universities remain internationally competitive, Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce says.

“New Zealand universities have been performing very well in a world context, with all eight of our universities now listed in the Top 500 in the world", Mr Joyce says.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce today released the Draft Tertiary Education Strategy (2014-2019) that seeks to improve the way tertiary education supports achievement, industry, innovation, and economic growth.

The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment are consulting with the education and business sectors on the draft strategy, which will set the direction of tertiary education for the next five years.

The New Zealand tertiary education system delivered more graduates and qualifications than ever before in 2012, Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce says.

Profile & Trends 2012, released today by the Ministry of Education, shows that 162,000 qualifications were completed in the New Zealand tertiary education system last year.

The number of qualifications completed by domestic students increased by 3.2 per cent from 2011 to 2012, with degree and higher qualifications up by 4 per cent.

Two appointments to the Education New Zealand board have been announced today by Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce.

Dr Neil Barns has been reappointed as a member of the Board for a three-year term and Frances Valintine has been appointed as a board member to replace departing member Jenny Alford. 

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce today announced two appointments to the Tertiary Education Commission board.

Business New Zealand Chief Executive Phil O’Reilly and businesswoman Vanessa Stoddart have been appointed as members of the Tertiary Education Commission.

“Mr O’Reilly and Ms Stoddart bring substantial leadership, governance and business experience to their roles on the Tertiary Education Commission board," Mr Joyce says. 

The value of international education to the New Zealand economy continues to grow with a new report released today showing it contributed $2.6 billion and 28,000 jobs in 2012/13.

The Economic Impact of International Education 2012/13 report by Infometrics and commissioned by Education New Zealand, shows the valuation of international students studying in New Zealand was $2.5 billion and the sale and delivery of New Zealand’s education services and products offshore was $104 million.

The Industry Training and Apprenticeships Amendment Bill, introduced to Parliament today, is a vital part of the Government’s investment in industry training, Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce says.

“In the 10 years to 2010 Government funding for Industry Training Organisations (ITOs) almost trebled. Unfortunately funding increases were not matched with sufficient accountability for the funding,” Mr Joyce says.

Requests for Proposals are being sought for the expansion of the Maori and Pasifika Trades Training Initiative from the current 600 places to 3000 places.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce and Associate Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Tariana Turia are leading the Maori and Pasifika Trades Training Initiative, which supports 18 to 34-year-olds to gain trades qualifications and apprenticeships, with the goal of a level four trade qualification and employment.