Alwyn Poole: Vocational Education in Schools needs to be thought through VERY carefully.....

Two Reasons the planned increase in Vocational Education in Schools needs to be thought through VERY carefully.

1. Early categorization of students and direction into narrow pathways creates carnage.

When at teachers’ college in the 1990s I came across a text with a photo of a Maori man doing road work and the caption: “Where would we be for roads in New Zealand without the Maori worker?”

Dr Michael Johnston: A new dawn for vocational education

Vocational education has never had a good reputation in New Zealand. It has long been seen as a second-best option for ‘struggling students.’ University is the destination of choice for ‘good’ students, even if they have no idea what they want to do there.

This unfortunate attitude was on display last week after Education Minister Erica Stanford announced the list of subjects to be included in the new school curriculum for Years 11-13.

Richard Downey: Is the vocational education model working for NZ?

Workplaces have to respond quickly to demand, technology and the economy. The workers we train need to be ready for that. The world is no place for the inflexible or the unprepared. This applies to governments, organisations and individuals. Education is changing. We need to look at new ways to reach potential students.

In 2019, the Government proposed a Reform of Vocational Education (Rove) then created Te Pūkenga. Now, the National Party has said it will break it up if it forms the next government.

So, is Aotearoa New Zealand on the right track with vocational education? Are we setting ourselves up to succeed?