New Zealand's workplace-based learners
An overview of industry training and other workplace-based learning trends for the year ended December 2022.
Page Contents:
- Statistical Tables
- Industry training and other workplace-based trends
- Types of workplace-based learners
- What does the 2022 data show?
- Who participates?
- What industries do they participate in?
- What training activity did learners undertake?
- What qualifications did they achieve?
- How many school students took part in Gateway and Trades Academies?
- Technical Notes/Background
Statistical Tables
Participation in industry training Updated: June 2023
Statistics relating to trainees enrolled in workplace-based learning, including industry training and apprenticeships.
- Participation in industry training [MS Excel 394kB]
Achievement in industry training Updated: June 2023
Statistics relating to achievement in workplace-based learning, including industry training and Apprenticeships.
- Achievement in industry training [MS Excel 449kB]
Field of specialisation
for industry training learners gaining qualifications Updated: June 2023
Statistics relating to qualification completion for industry training learners by their field of specialisation and other characteristics.
Industry training and other workplace-based trends
New Zealand’s Workplace-Based Learners gives an overview of industry training and other workplace-based learning trends for the year ended December 2022. It focuses on industry training and covers the characteristics of learners, the industries they learn in, and what they achieve. It also contains a short overview of Gateway and trades academies.
This information shows performance in industry training, regardless of whether training-related activity was funded by the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC). As such, these measures may differ to those published by the TEC.
Types of workplace-based learners
There are three types of workplace-based learners. These are:
a) Industry Training Apprentices
Apprentices are industry training learners who do substantial training programmes at Levels 4 or above. Apprenticeships provide opportunities for learners to establish careers in new occupations. Apprenticeships include New Zealand Apprenticeship programmes, and programmes at equivalent levels and credit loads, as well as the remaining Modern Apprenticeship programmes.
b) Managed Apprentices
These are apprentices who are not industry training learners but are enrolled at non-traditional industry training providers, for example, Te Pūkenga subsidiaries. As such, they are included in the reported counts of provider-based tertiary education students. They are not included in the counts of learners on this page.
c) Trainees
Trainees are industry training learners who do short programmes, often at lower levels. Traineeships often cater for established workers and employers who need supplementary skills for their workers to help them continue to adapt to changing technologies and other working conditions. Traineeships are also used to train new employees.
We report statistics separately on a) apprentices and c) trainees.
We also report on senior secondary school students in workplace training through Gateway and trades academies. These are secondary-tertiary programmes that provide access to trades or technology learning opportunities as part of the Youth Guarantee programme.
What does the 2022 data show?
The data for the 12 months to December 2022 shows:
- Between 2020 and 2021, the workplace-based training system had the potential to be strongly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak in New Zealand. Two main Government initiatives were deployed to support skills training in workplaces in 2020, and these continued to support workplace-based learners in 2022. These were Apprenticeship Boost, designed to support new (Year 1 and Year 2) apprentices by providing subsidies to employers, and the Targeted Training and Apprenticeships Fund (TTAF), which provided fee support to apprentices, and trainees at Level 3 or higher in targeted study fields.
- The number of trainees and apprentices increased in 2022. Overall, the total number of industry training learners increased by 4.4 percent to 158,585 learners. This is the highest total industry training participation since 2010, and the only the second year since 2001 in which apprentices have outnumbered trainees (the first was 2021). The number of trainees increased by 1.6 percent to 75,570, while number of apprentices increased by 7.4 percent to 84,275.
- The increase in the number of apprentices in 2022 (7.4 percent) was smaller than the large increases in 2020 and 2021 (of 16 percent and 27 percent respectively). While there was a decline in the number of new entrant apprentices in 2022, the large number of apprentices continuing training from previous years led to an overall increase in 2022.
- The number of trainees completing qualifications decreased, as did the five year completion rate. In 2022, 23,755 trainees completed a qualification, down 2.6 percent on 2021. The proportion of trainees completing a qualification within five years of starting study decreased by 1 percentage point to 62 percent.
- The number of apprentices completing qualifications increased, while the apprentice five year completion rate decreased. In 2022, 13,155 apprentices completed a qualification, an increase of 16 percent on 2021. However, the five year qualification completion rate for apprentices decreased by 3 percentage points to 47 percent.
Who participates?
The overall number of trainees and apprentices in 2022 was 158,585, an increase of 4.4 percent from 2021 (up 6,695 learners). The number of trainees increased by 1.6 percent (to 75,570), while apprentices increased by 7.4 percent (to 84,275). This is the highest total industry training participation since 2010, and the only the second year since 2001 in which apprentices have outnumbered trainees.
There was an overall increase in trainees from 2021. A 4.9 percent increase in new entrant trainees (1,355 more new trainees) was accompanied by a 14 percent decrease in the number of trainees continuing from the previous year (2,495 fewer continuing trainees), and an 8.2 percent increase in the numbers of trainees leaving training due to completion or withdrawal. The amount of training delivered to trainees (measured in standard training measures, or STMs) was 4.4 percent higher than in 2021 (see table 1).
The overall increase (7.4 percent) in the number of apprentices in 2022 was made up of a decline in new entrant apprentices (5,260 fewer but still a relatively large number at 20,760 entrants), and a 47 percent increase in the numbers of apprentices leaving training, either through completion or withdrawal. The number of apprentices continuing from the previous year (38,370) increased by 3,080 (8.7 percent). The amount of training delivered to apprentices (measured in STMs) increased by 9 percent.
Gender
The proportion of the workforce participating as trainees was steady at 2.7 percent in. In 2022, 43 percent of trainees were women (see figure 1). The male trainee participation rate increased slightly (to 2.9 percent of the male workforce) while there was a decrease in the female trainee participation rate to 2.4 percent of the female workforce (from 2.6 percent).
The proportion of the workforce who were apprentices increased slightly to 3.0 percent (from 2.8 percent). Participation rates for male apprentices and female apprentices both increased, to 4.6 percent for males (from 4.4 percent) and by a slight 0.1 percentage points for females (to 1.1 percent). In 2022, 18 percent of apprentices were women, an increase from 17 percent in 2021 (see figure 2).
Year | Total | Learners | Proportion | Proportion of the workforce | Delivered | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Male | Female | Male | Female | Total | ||||
2017 | 99,565 | 53,720 | 45,375 | 46 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 25,845 |
2018 | 87,995 | 45,765 | 41,945 | 48 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 23,320 |
2019 | 84,500 | 43,440 | 40,850 | 48 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 22,065 |
2020 | 76,680 | 39,785 | 36,730 | 48 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 18,845 |
2021 | 74,355 | 40,280 | 33,915 | 46 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 2.7 | 18,940 |
2022 | 75,570 | 42,935 | 32,270 | 43 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 19,765 |
Year | Total | Learners | Proportion | Proportion of the workforce | Delivered | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Male | Female | Male | Female | Total | ||||
2017 | 46,100 | 40,340 | 5,675 | 12 | 2.9 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 19,455 |
2018 | 50,465 | 43,685 | 6,700 | 13 | 3.1 | 0.5 | 1.9 | 21,430 |
2019 | 53,530 | 46,145 | 7,295 | 14 | 3.2 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 22,785 |
2020 | 61,855 | 52,770 | 8,895 | 14 | 3.6 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 24,360 |
2021 | 78,455 | 64,920 | 13,270 | 17 | 4.4 | 1.0 | 2.8 | 33,015 |
2022 | 84,275 | 68,930 | 15,080 | 18 | 4.6 | 1.1 | 3.0 | 35,980 |
Figure 1: Trainee counts by gender and as a proportion of the total workforce, 2013-2022
Figure 2: Apprentice counts by gender, and as a proportion of the total workforce, 2012-2022
Age group
The age distribution of trainees in 2022 was similar to that in 2021 with 40 percent of trainees being under 30 years, and 34 percent of trainees aged 40 years or older.
The trend towards older apprentices continued in 2022, as the proportion of apprentices aged under 30 years decreased to 61 percent (down from 65 percent in 2019 and 70 percent in 2016). The proportion of apprentices aged 40 years or older increased from 15 percent in 2021 to 16 percent.
Ethnicity
Figures 3 and 4 show the proportions of the workforce that were trainees or apprentices, categorised by ethnicity. Trainee participation as a percentage of the workforce was steady for European and Māori trainees but decreased for Pacific Peoples and Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American and African trainees in 2022. Workforce participation rates for Māori and Pacific Peoples trainees remained higher than for other groups.
Participation rates for apprentices increased across all ethnic groups with the largest increases for Māori and Pacific Peoples. Participation continues to be highest for apprentices of Māori or Pacific Peoples ethnicity.
Figure 3: Proportion of the workforce undertaking traineeships by ethnicity, 2017-2022
Figure 4: Proportion of the workforce undertaking apprenticeships by ethnicity, 2017-2022
Prior qualifications
A high proportion of industry training learners hold tertiary qualifications gained prior to starting training. Overall in 2022, 62 percent of trainees (down from 65 percent in 2021) and 47 percent of apprentices (down from 49 percent) already held a tertiary certificate, diploma, or degree (bachelors or above).
What industries do workplace-based learners participate in?
The industries with the most trainees in 2022 were: healthcare and social assistance (17 percent of trainees or 12,965 learners), manufacturing (14 percent or 10,740 learners), and agriculture, forestry and fishing (11 percent or 8,455 learners).
The construction industry hosted the highest number of apprentices (44 percent or 37,255 learners), followed by retail (13 percent or 10,840 learners), and manufacturing (10 percent or 8,460 learners) (see figure 5).
Figure 5: Distribution of trainees and apprentices by industry 2022
Figure 6 shows, for each gender, the proportion of the workforce undertaking an apprenticeship in the three industries with the greatest numbers of apprentices across the years 2017 to 2022. Female workers have much lower rates of participation in apprenticeships. For example, in 2022, 14 percent of men working in construction were apprentices compared to 3.4 percent of women. Overall, 4.6 percent of the male workforce were apprentices compared to 1.1 percent of the female workforce.
Figure 6: Proportion of the workforce undertaking apprenticeships by gender 2017-2022, selected industries
What training activity did learners undertake?
The number of trainees who entered training in 2022 increased by 4.9 percent on the previous year to 29,065 new entrants (see Technical Notes for an explanation of the training activity categories). The proportion of all trainees who were new entrants increased to 39 percent, up from 37 percent in 2021. Among all trainees (both new and continuing), the proportion that completed training increased from 34 percent to 38 percent, and the proportion withdrawing from training also increased to 20 percent, up from 19 percent in 2021 (see figure 7).
The proportion of apprentices who were new entrants in 2022 decreased to 25 percent (or 20,760 apprentices), from 33 percent in 2021. The proportion of all apprentices withdrawing (without completion) increased to 19 percent, from 15 percent in 2021, while the proportion that completed training increased to 14 percent (see figure 8).
Figure 7: Proportion of trainees by main activity 2013-2022
Figure 8: Proportion of apprentices by main activity 2013-2022
What qualifications did they achieve?
The number of trainees that completed a qualification decreased 2.6 percent (to 23,755), and a total of 24,490 qualifications were awarded to trainees (down from 25,540 in 2021).
As in 2021, over 80 percent of qualifications achieved by trainees were at Level 3 or higher, reflecting the continued longer-term decrease in training at Level 1 and Level 2.
A total of 13,155 apprentices completed a qualification in 2022, an increase of 18 percent compared to 2021, and 14,190 qualifications were awarded to apprentices in 2022.
The proportion of trainees completing a qualification within five years of commencement decreased to 62 percent in 2022, from 63 percent in 2021 (see figure 9). For apprentices, the five year qualification completion rate decreased to 47 percent in 2022, from 50 percent in 2021 (see figure 10).
Figure 9: Five-year trainee qualification completion rates 2017-2022
Figure 10: Five-year apprentice qualification completion rates 2017-2022
How many school students took part In Gateway and Trades Academies?
Gateway and trades academies, part of the government’s Youth Guarantee programme, aim to assist school students to gain employment or further training. Learners can earn assessment standards that can contribute towards the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) and other qualifications on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework.
Gateway
The number of learners accessing Gateway programmes in 2022 (14,010 students) was higher (by 0.1 percent) than in 2021 Gateway students achieved 312,370 credits in 2022, an average of 22 per student. This represents a slight decrease in credits achieved per student compared with 2021 and is generally lower than in the period 2015 to 2019.
Trades Academies
The number of students that participated in trades academies increased by 220 in 2022 to 11,395 students
Technical Notes | Background
Forms of industry training:
There are two main forms of workplace-based learning. The most common is industry training, which covers trainees and apprenticeships administered by transitional industry training organisations (TITOs) and other organisations under the Education and Training Act 2020.
Traineeships are industry training programmes that do not meet the New Zealand Apprenticeships credit (120 or more credits) and level (at least Level 4) criteria. Trainees are often involved in smaller programmes, at lower qualification levels, that suit established workers wanting to update or increase their skills.
Apprenticeships:
Apprenticeships presented here are mainly arranged under the Education and Training Act 2020. They include: New Zealand Apprenticeships (introduced in 2014); Modern Apprenticeships; and industry training apprenticeship equivalents (study programmes that meet or exceed the New Zealand Apprenticeships criteria, i.e. qualifications at Level 4 or above, consisting of at least 120 credits). The other form of workplace-based learning is administered by tertiary education organisations, such as Te Pūkenga subsidiaries, and is sometimes referred to as ‘Managed Apprenticeships’.
Organisations:
Under the Review of Vocational Education reforms all remaining transitional industry training organisations (TITOs) operating in 2022 were re-established as either Te Pūkenga subsidiaries or as private training establishments (PTEs).
Data Sources:
Most of the statistics on this page are derived from returns provided by government-funded tertiary education organisations to the Tertiary Education Commission. This data may differ from that reported by the Tertiary Education Commission because it is based on all industry training enrolments. It shows counts of both funded and unfunded trainees and apprentices. Data may also be different to that published in previous years because tertiary education providers can submit updates to historical data. Denominator workforce numbers for participation rate calculations were estimated using the Household Labour Force Survey.
Rounding:
Data has been rounded to the nearest 5 to protect the privacy of individuals, so the sum of individual counts may not add to the total. Percentages are calculated using unrounded numbers.
Standard training measures:
A standard training measure (STM) is a unit or a quantity of training. One standard training measure is the nominal amount of training that is required for a learner to achieve 120 credits (or its equivalent) in an approved and structured training programme. One credit equals 10 nominal hours of instruction and study. One standard training measure comprises 120 credits, or 1,200 nominal hours, of instruction and study.
Ethnicity:
Learners may report multiple ethnicities and so may be counted in more than one ethnic group. The acronym MELAA refers to Middle Eastern/ Latin American/ African.
Prior Qualifications:
The results reported are estimates based on the distribution of trainees and apprentices whose previous highest qualification was known. For 2022, previous qualification was known for 89 percent of trainees and apprentices.
Training activity:
Six categories are used to classify learners’ training activity. Firstly, learners are classified as either continuing (from a previous year) or entrant (enrolling for the first time in the reference year). Secondly, these groups are split according to their exit activities. Thus, the ‘Continuing training’ category includes only those learners who are continuing their training and who do not leave in the reference year. The ‘Exit & completion’ and ‘Exit & withdrawn’ categories are used for learners who are continuing their training, but who leave in the reference year. Similarly, the ‘Entry’ category does not include new entrants who complete or withdraw from training in the reference year, since these learners are classified in the ‘Entry & completion’ or ‘Entry & withdrawn’ categories.