Webinar notes - Trade Routes: Charting new pathways from secondary school to industry

 Attended the webinar organised by the NZ Initiative. 

The event provides an overview of a report on 'Trade routes: charting new pathways from school to industry training'. 

The webinar's description - Drawing inspiration from Germany's successful dual-training model, Josh Williams and Dr Michael Johnston will discuss initiatives in secondary and tertiary education to enhance the status and quality of trades and industry training.

Notes taken:

Oliver Hartwich provided overview, introductions to Dr. Michael Johnston and Josh Williams and chaired the webinar.

Sli.do hosts the Q & A -

Observed that 65,000 Students leave school each year and about 1/3 go to university. Only 6% take up apprenticeship and 7% are NEETs (sigh).

Cultural aspects in NZ mean most take the university as there is lack of visibility of alternatives and much lower esteem for trades work.

Education is not cohesive. The pathways from work into alternatives to university are not easy. Vocational pathways need to attain parity of esteem with higher education. Proposed several ways to bring this to fruition.

It will take time but there is a need to start the pathway at school, rather than post school.

For apprentices, starting on lower pay and moving to full pay will encourage employers to take on apprentices. A bonding system may be useful for apprentices to stay a few years with employer, post completion of the apprenticeship contract.

Also suggested the fee free for degree students be diverted to apprenticeships, which will cover most of the training costs for the 6% of school leavers moving into apprenticeship.

Work Development Councils need to be given wider scope. Instead of appointment by government, they should be appointed by industry and not only be responsible for standards setting but also approval for programmes/ and supporting providers (secondary schools) to set up themselves.

Need to be a progression from school on to tertiary / apprenticeship rather than a abrupt shift.

Josh contributed the Forward for the report. Important to not just 'drag and drop' the German dual system across but to think through the things that will work for us in Aotearoa.

Provided a background on how a decade ago, Youth Pathways was launched, along with Arthur Graves. There are initiatives - STAR, Gateway etc. but they not always well coordinated. Specialising at high school may be difficult later on, but they provide a good start.

Provided some examples of schools that are doing good work in this area. Important that all the ones who are successful have good connections and networks with their local communities, employers and industries.

The ecosystem to support change in this area needs to be undertaken but requires multiple connections and a holistic understanding to work out what will work.

Q & A ensured of the 30+ questions collected on sli.do.

Interesting presentation and some recommendations make good sense. Had to leave to be at another meeting so missed the bulk of the Q & A.

Jane Higgins on learner identity for young people who leave school with no or low qualifications

Attended a short 'lunch time' presentation by Dr. Jane Higgins, on - "Towards a learning identity: young people becoming learners after leaving school" -  at the mental health resource centre in Chch.

Jane's work with Judith Sligo and Dr. Karen Nairn on 'vocational imagination' the project on 'first year apprentices' experiences in the workplace. So good to do a catch up f2f with Jane and the work of the education employment linkages group at Lincoln University.
Jane presented initial findings from draft prepared for research participants for feedback. Strong themes coming through which are likely to be in final report. Final report will be on eel website.

She summarised research process, then defined learning identity and progreesed to discussing what supports formation of learner identity with respect to pathways into employment.

Project began with international research lit. review, then the mapping of educational-employment linkages provision in NZ for young people with low or no qualifications (which is in flux and change now). Interviews carried out with providers, policy analysts and the voices of the young people. Unable to make contact with NEETs (not in education, emploment or training) due to difficulties encountered last year through the Canterbury/Christchurch earthquakes.

Research question - what do young people who have left school with low or no qualifications have to say about the capacity of agenccies to assists, including facilitators and barriers.

12 focus groups in 5 learning organisations (n=51) - 2 learning centres with young people facing multiple difficult circumstances, one for teen mothers and one offering youth guarantees programmes

What learning took place across activities leading to NCEA levels, nat certs, drivers licence, or involving fitness, work experience, sport/leisure.

Young people construct a sense of self as a learner that changes over time and is mediated by the institutional structures in which they learn and which therefore impacts upon their view of work/career possibilities. Young people's understanding of their own learning capacities are critical to their aspirations and ability to engage with particular education-employment linkages. (eel lit review p.22)

Towards a learning identity - all participants were in learning environment, left school disengaged, most have been NEET for a period post-school, did not want to be NEET, saw themselves as learners, therefore significant identity formation.

Relationships (between learner and teacher) important in establishing recognition of transition from NEET, low school attainment to learner identity. Being provided with trust in their integrity, choices they could make, being treated as an adult, relevance and paced learning, small class size and positive encouragement.

matrix from 'positive youth development in Aotearoa: Weaving connections: tuhonohono tangitahi - WFCT - details low support/low challenge to high support/high challenge.

Themes on crafting pathways - individuals require emotional support (someone who understands, trustworthy, listens, have patience, high expectations, honest about employment). self motivation important. recommendation from known trusted source.

Finding a way into work - methods used include informal networks of tutors into labour market, individualised assistance, internet, acquaintances, career expos, job search assistance, work experience.

Maintaining a learner identity - and crafting a worker identity - what happens if jobs are not available?? points to fragility of the learner identity.

Current policy environment -- has challenges and may not solve all problems. Including:
Current focus on 16-17 risks missing those who shift towards learning identity over a longer time - confidence building is complex and take a lot of one to one support.
Pursuit of NCEA level 2 but may lead to organisations to replicate school. Gateway and trades academies do not currently cater for many of the young people who participated in this project.

Therefore, shift towards learning identity is a crucial moment for young people who have been in NEET. requires high levels of support and tailored education to facilitate and support, takes time and access to work experience and employment opportunities.

New Book - "Children of Rogernomics" - will be of interest and provide background to the impact of neoliberal economics on youth today.

ITF Secondary – Tertiary transitions forum

The ITF NZ Secondary to Tertiary Forum ran was on 1^st October. Unfortunately, I had already committed to presenting at the National Teaching & Learning Conference at UCOL.  However, the efficient ITF has posted the power points of various presentations and I spend the morning catching up on the various presentations, which inform work I am doing on the ‘first year apprentices’ project.

First presentation was from Jeremy Baker ITF executive director, who called for a more structured form of information to be provided to school leavers, already overwhelmed by a plethora of career options and provided with a whole host of options while still at school to try out occupations/ careers while still at school. The ITF proposes a ‘sectoral pathways’ to try to make the information on transition from school to tertiary options and eventually to work, clearer. Sectors include university and other pathways, service industries, manufacture and technology, building and construction, primary industries and social and community services.

Next up, Stuart Middleton, as per his video advocating for the establishment of ‘tertiary academies’ presents the rationale on powerpoint, for the need for a new interface to with multiple pathways which requires interaction between schools and tertiary institutions, in the form of ‘tertiary high schools’.

The Post-primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) represented by Penney Dunckley, Peter Kemp and Sarah Dalton, present secondary schools / teachers viewpoints on youth guarantees, trade academies and qualifications and the need for better strategies to help young people get the most out of their education.

The a presentation on the proposed structure for the Christchurch based ‘trades academy’ – Canterbury Tertiary College, to be a joint Linwood College and Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT) partnership beginning 2011. A comprehensive series of slides on the consultation process and the types of certificates / programmes to be offered.

The government Career’s services/ Ruapara perspective was then offered by Susan Kosmala on ‘smart decisions, smart transitions’. There is a need to still improve on information to be provided to school leavers as over 40% of tertiary students decide to change courses or drop out due to enrolling in the wrong course! Career’s services is now offering multiple entry points to their web-based resources via various social networking sites.

All in, the above presentations represent the ‘state of play’ with regards to the various initiatives being undertaken to assist students with school to post-school options. As Stuart Middleton explained, NZ will have a growing number of 'non-traditional' students which schools and tertiary institutes will need to put effort into engaging / re-engaging.