New Zealand's workplace-based learners
An overview of workplace-based learning trends for the year ended December 2025.
Workplace-based learning trends
New Zealand’s workplace-based learners gives an overview of workplace-based learning trends for the year ended December 2025. It focuses on workplace-based learning previously known as 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 workplace-based learning, 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.
On this page:
- Types of workplace-based learners
- What does the 2025 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
Types of workplace-based learners
There are 2 types of workplace-based learners. These are:
a) Apprentices
Apprentices are workplace-based 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 historical Modern Apprenticeship programmes.
b) Trainees
Trainees are workplace-based 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 b) 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 2025 data show?
The data for the 12 months to December 2025 shows:
- The number of trainees and apprentices decreased in 2025. Overall, the total number of workplace-based learners decreased by 12% to 108,315 learners. This continues a decline from the record high numbers of learners in 2022, which at 158,570 learners was the highest recorded total participation since 2011.
- Workplace-based learning generally supports higher numbers of learners in times of economic growth, and lower numbers in periods of low growth or during a recession. This is because there has to be a certain amount of economic activity for employers to be able to support learning in the workplace as learners are less productive than other workers, and training requires expending employer resources that might be scarce.
- Between 2020 and 2022, the workplace-based training system had the potential to be strongly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak in New Zealand. Two main initiatives were deployed to support skills training in workplaces in 2020. These were Apprenticeship Boost, designed to support new apprentices by providing subsidies to employers, and the Targeted Training and Apprenticeships Fund (TTAF), which provided fee support to apprentices, and to trainees at Level 3 or higher in targeted study fields. TTAF finished at the end of 2022, and Apprenticeship Boost continued throughout 2024.
- During this time there were high levels of building activity, which enabled employers to increase the numbers of apprentices to the highest recorded levels. The levels of building activity dropped rapidly in 2023 and in 2024 and started to grow again in 2025, but activity did not reach the peaks seen in 2022. In 2025 eligibility for Apprenticeship Boost was also removed for second-year apprentices, and for some study fields.
- The number of trainees decreased by 14% in 2024 and by 7.9% in 2025, to 49,110, while the number of apprentices decreased by 9.9% in 2024 and by 14% in 2025 to 59,720, which is the sixth highest number of apprentices recorded in a year since 2011. Apprentices outnumbered trainees in 2025, the fifth year in a row that this has been the case.
- The overall decrease in apprentice numbers reflected a 24% decline in the number of new entrant apprentices in 2025, and a decrease of 16% in the number of apprentices continuing training from previous years.
- The number of trainees completing qualifications decreased, while the 3-year qualification completion rate increased. In 2025, 16,090 trainees completed a qualification, down 6.9% on 2024. The proportion of trainees completing a qualification within 3 years of starting study increased to 54%.
- The number of apprentices completing qualifications decreased, as did the apprentice 5-year completion rate. In 2025, 12,930 apprentices completed a qualification, a decrease of 7.7% on 2024. The 5-year qualification completion rate for apprentices declined 3 percentage points to 40%.
- First year apprenticeships retention rate increased in 2025, from 66% to 71%.
Who participates?
The overall number of trainees and apprentices in 2025 was 108,315, a decrease of 12% from 2024 (by 14,075 learners). The number of trainees decreased by 7.9% (to 49,110), while apprentices decreased by 14% (to 59,720). This represents a significant decline in learners from those seen in 2022, which had the highest total workplace-based learning participation since 2011. Apprentices outnumbered trainees in 2025, having overtaken trainee numbers for the first time in 2021.
There was an overall decrease in trainees from 2024. A 16% decrease in new entrant trainees (3,205 fewer new trainees) was accompanied by an 11% decrease (1,330) in the number of trainees continuing training from previous years. The amount of training delivered to trainees (measured in Equivalent Full-Time Students or EFTS) was 7.5% lower than in 2024 (see table 1).
The overall decrease (14%) in the number of apprentices in 2025 was made up of a 24% decline in new entrant apprentices (3,145 fewer), and a 16% decrease in the number of apprentices continuing training from previous years (down 5,480 apprentices). The amount of training delivered to apprentices (measured in EFTS) decreased by 13%.
The proportion of the workforce participating as trainees was steady at 1.7% (from 1.8%). In 2025, 44% of trainees were women (see figure 1). The trainee male workforce participation rate was steady (to 1.8% of the male workforce, from 1.9% in 2024) as was the trainee female workforce participation rate (from 1.7% in 2024 to 1.6% in 2025).
The proportion of the workforce who were apprentices decreased to 2.1% (from 2.4%). Participation rates for male apprentices decreased, to 3.3% for males (from 3.8%) and was steady for females (from 0.8% to 0.7%). In 2025, 17% of apprentices were women, with no change since 2023.
Year | Total | Learners | Proportion | Proportion of the workforce who are trainees (%) | Delivered | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Male | Female | Male | Female | Total | ||||
2020 | 76,655 | 39,775 | 36,725 | 48 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 18,800 |
2021 | 74,315 | 40,255 | 33,905 | 46 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 18,900 |
2022 | 75,585 | 42,950 | 32,280 | 43 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 19,700 |
2023 | 62,135 | 33,985 | 27,960 | 45 | 2.2 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 15,390 |
2024 | 53,295 | 29,260 | 23,920 | 45 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 13,345 |
2025 | 49,110 | 27,220 | 21,815 | 44 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 12,350 |
Year | Total | Learners | Proportion | Proportion of the workforce who are apprentices (%) | Delivered | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Male | Female | Male | Female | Total | ||||
2020 | 61,835 | 52,770 | 8,900 | 14 | 3.6 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 24,345 |
2021 | 78,430 | 64,920 | 13,275 | 17 | 4.4 | 1.0 | 2.8 | 32,900 |
2022 | 84,245 | 68,935 | 15,085 | 18 | 4.6 | 1.1 | 2.9 | 35,905 |
2023 | 77,410 | 64,040 | 13,205 | 17 | 4.1 | 1.0 | 2.6 | 32,930 |
2024 | 69,725 | 57,930 | 11,655 | 17 | 3.8 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 29,440 |
2025 | 59,720 | 49,515 | 10,100 | 17 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 25,495 |
Figure 1: Trainee counts by gender and as a proportion of the total workforce, 2016-2025
Figure 2: Apprentice counts by gender and as a proportion of the total workforce, 2016-2025
Age group
The age distribution of trainees in 2025 was similar to that in 2024 with 42% of trainees being under 30 years and 32% of trainees aged 40 years or older.
The proportion of apprentices aged under 25 years was steady at 43%, and apprentices aged 25 to 39 years was steady at 41%. The proportion of apprentices aged 40 years or older remained at 15%.
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 declined for all trainees in 2025 but declined more for Pacific Peoples trainees than for others. Workforce participation rates for Māori and Pacific Peoples trainees remained higher than for other groups.
Participation rates for apprentices decreased at a higher rate for Māori and Pacific Peoples ethnic groups in 2025. Participation continues to be highest for apprentices of Māori or Pacific Peoples ethnicity.
Figure 3: Proportion of the workforce undertaking traineeships by ethnicity, 2020-2025
Figure 4: Proportion of the workforce undertaking apprenticeships by ethnicity, 2020-2025
What industries do workplace-based learners participate in?
The industries with the most trainees in 2025 were: healthcare and social assistance (18% of trainees or 8,785 learners), public administration and safety (12% or 5,860 learners), and accommodation and food services (12% or 5,820 learners).
The construction industry hosted the highest number of apprentices (49% or 29,040 learners), followed by healthcare and social assistance (8.9% or 5,300 learners), retail (8.5% or 5,100 learners), and manufacturing (7.9% or 4,745 learners).
Figure 5 shows the industry workforce participation rates of trainees and apprentices. Just under 10% of the construction industry workforce were apprentices in 2025, and just under 4% of the accommodation and food services industry workers were trainees.
Figure 5: Industry participation rates of trainees and apprentices, 2025
Figure 6 shows, for each gender, the proportion of the workforce undertaking an apprenticeship in the 3 industries with the greatest numbers of apprentices across the years 2020 to 2025. Female workers have much lower rates of participation in apprenticeships. For example, in 2025, 11% of men working in construction were apprentices compared to 3.2% of women. Overall, 3.3% of the male workforce were apprentices compared to 0.7% of the female workforce.
Figure 6: Proportion of the workforce undertaking apprenticeships by gender 2020-2025, selected industries
What training activity did learners undertake?
The number of trainees who entered training in 2025 decreased by 16% on the previous year to 16,780 new entrants (see Technical Notes for an explanation of the Training activity categories). The proportion of all trainees who were new entrants decreased to 34%, from 38% in 2024. Among all trainees (both new and continuing), the proportion that completed training increased from 38% to 40%, and the proportion withdrawing from training increased to 19%, from 16% in 2024 (see figure 7).
The proportion of apprentices who were new entrants in 2025 decreased to 17% (or 9,840 apprentices), from 19% in 2024. The proportion of all apprentices withdrawing (without completion) was static at just under 17%, while the proportion that completed training increased to 20% from 17% in 2024 (see figure 8).
Figure 7: Proportion of trainees by main activity 2016-2025
Figure 8: Proportion of apprentices by main activity 2016-2025
What qualifications did they achieve?
The number of trainees that completed a qualification decreased 6.9% (to 16,090), and a total of 16,580 qualifications were awarded to trainees (down from 17,655 in 2024).
As in 2024, over 80% of qualifications achieved by trainees were at Level 3 or higher, reflecting the continued longer-term decrease in training at Level 2 (Level 1 training was removed in 2019).
A total of 12,930 apprentices completed a qualification in 2025, a decrease of 7.1% compared to 2024, and 13,915 qualifications were awarded to apprentices in 2025.
The proportion of trainees completing a qualification within 3 years of commencement increased to 54% in 2025 from 51% in 2024 (see figure 9). For apprentices, the 5-year qualification completion rate decreased to 40% in 2025, representing a continued decline from the high of 58% in 2019 (see figure 10).
Figure 9: Three-year trainee qualification completion rates 2020-2025
Figure 10: Five-year apprentice qualification completion rates 2020-2025
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 engage in education, achieve foundation qualifications, and gain employment or further training. Learners can earn credits 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 workplace-based learning programmes in 2025 (15,570 students) was higher (by 0.7%) than in 2024. Gateway students achieved 377,855 credits in 2025, an average of 24 per student. This is higher than the average achieved in 2023 but is generally lower than in the period 2015 to 2019.
Trades academies
The number of students that participated in trades academies (utilising an unchanged level of funded places) fell by 310 in 2025 to 11,390 students. Trades academy students achieved an average of 23 credits, with the total volume of credits determined by the proportion of time spent in the vocational pathway course. A typical enrolment includes 1 day of vocational learning, typically delivered by a tertiary education organisation or school, but could also incorporate work-based learning.
Technical notes | Background
Forms of workplaces-based learning:
There are 2 main forms of workplace-based learning. These are traineeships and apprenticeships, both administered by organisations under the Education and Training Act 2020.
Traineeships are workplace-based 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).
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 workplace-based 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.
Equivalent Full-Time Students:
An equivalent fulltime student (EFTS) is a unit or a quantity of training. One EFT 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 EFT 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 1 ethnic group. The acronym MELAA refers to Middle Eastern/ Latin American/African.
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.