Participation in industry training
The number of people undertaking industry training continues to increase.
Date Updated:March 2008
Indicator Description
The number of people undertaking industry training.
What We Have Found
The number of people undertaking industry training continues to increase.
Why This Is Important
Participation in a knowledge society includes the continued participation of people in learning and education over their lifetime. With rapid changes in society, economy and technology, skills can quickly become outdated. It is important that people can continue to access education after they have completed their initial education. It is equally important that these decisions to access education are made in conjunction with impartial career information, advice and guidance.
Industry training provides opportunities for ongoing development and updating of skills. It concentrates on workplace learning, which can be on-the-job, off-the-job by a registered training provider, or a combination of both.
Industry training is also delivered through the Modern Apprenticeship scheme, which is designed to complement and build on existing work-based industry training. Modern Apprenticeships are targeted at young people aged 16 to 21 years on entry, although provision may be made for older people seeking a change in career.
How We Are Going
A total of 176,064 people undertook industry training during 2006, 2.2 times the number participating in 2000 (81,343). Based on numbers undertaking industry training as at 31 December of each year (as at 30 June for all years prior to 2000), this represents a 6.7-fold increase from 1995.
| Total numbers in industry training (1995-2006) |
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On a labour force basis, Māori and Pasifika workers engage in industry training more than other ethnic groups. In 2006, an estimated 16.5% of all working Māori and 11.8% of all working Pasifika were participating in industry training. This compared with just 6.8% for European/Pākehā workers and 6.6% for all other workers.
| Estimated participation rates for workers in industry training by selected demographic characteristics (2006) |
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Workers in their 20s are the most likely of all age groups to be learning on the job, with 14.5% engaged in industry training, while 12.7% of those aged 15 to 19 were also participating in industry training. However, older people are also well represented in industry training, with almost 60,000 trainees aged 40 and over, accounting for 33.9% of all people who participated in industry training during 2006. Just over 24,600 of those trainees were aged 50 and over.
Currently, females are under-represented in industry training, with women comprising 46.2% of all workers but only 28.7% of all learners in industry training.
Where To Find Out More
To obtain information about other ways of looking at fundamental learning skills for the adult population consider the indicator:
To obtain other information on the participation of people in learning and education over their lifetime, consider the indicator:
References
Ministry of Education (2007). New Zealand's Tertiary Education Sector Profile & Trends 2006. Wellington: Ministry of Education.
Ministry of Education (2006). Tertiary Education Strategy 2002/07: Monitoring Report 2005. Wellington: Ministry of Education.