Skills’ transition plan has been approved

The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) Board has approved Skills’ transition plan, giving Skills and its learners security for the future under the Reform of Vocational Education (RoVE).

The transition plan lays out how Skills will transfer its Arranging Training functions to Te Pūkenga and six different Private Training Establishments (PTEs). These are known as receiving organisations.

Skills’ receiving organisations are:

Skills is the eighth transitional ITO to have its plan approved, but the TEC Board says with seven receiving organisations and three transition dates (1 July, 1 September and 1 October 2022), Skills’ plan was the most complex by far.

All seven receiving organisations were required to provide detailed Receiving Plans, which were endorsed by the RoVE Programme Board to the TEC Board. Approximately 57 percent of Skills’ learners will transition to Te Pūkenga WBL with the rest split across the other six receiving organisations.

Skills is grateful to have the support of its industries and employers behind its plan.

“There’s been a lot of work put into that transition plan,” says Skills chief executive Garry Fissenden. “We’re proud of getting this transition plan approved, and of TEC’s endorsement that this is a good plan. We’ve now passed another hurdle and we’re all go for the future.”

Responsibility for Skills’ qualifications development, moderation, consent to assess, and programme endorsement moved to Waihanga Ara Rau WDC, Toitū te Waiora WDC, and Ringa Hora – Services WDC on 4 October 2021.

“Congratulations to everyone involved at Skills and Primary and across TEC, NZQA and all of the receiving organisations,” said Gillian Dudgeon, deputy chief executive, delivery directorate at TEC.