Target met year earlier: Modern Apprentices

The Labour-led government has exceeded its target of 14,000 Modern Apprentices by the end of 2008 with more than a year to spare, Tertiary Education Minister Pete Hodgson said today.

The September quarter statistics show a total of 14,411 Modern Apprentices, of whom 10,534 are still in training and 3877 have successfully completed their apprenticeships.

“These young people and the businesses they are working for are crucial to our increase in skill and productivity – and I congratulate them,” Pete Hodgson said.

“We launched the Modern Apprenticeships programme in 2000 and set about rebuilding trade training in New Zealand. We went on to set the 14,000 goal and we have achieved that ahead of schedule.”

The 10,534 modern apprentices in training today is a 12.6 per cent increase on the 9,355 at the same quarter last year.

Pete Hodgson said he was also very pleased with an increase in Industry Trainee numbers, with 133,412 as of 30 September 2007, up from 124,829 for the same quarter last year.

“Again, the numbers are heading in the right direction. A more highly skilled workforce is developing, which is something we are very proud of.

“Trade training is a top priority for the government. This was reflected in the Budget 2007 commitment of an extra $53 million over four years to support increased workforce participation in industry training.

“The government’s total investment in the Industry Training Fund will reach $180 million by 2010 – more than three times what it was in 2000. In the same timeframe, Modern Apprenticeship funding will have gone from zero to $49 million per annum,” Pete Hodgson said.