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The government’s proposal to reform New Zealand’s underachieving vocational education sector is laudable, but there are still concerns that need to be addressed, says a new research note from The New Zealand Initiative. The research note, Hands-on: New suggestions to reform New Zealand's vocational sector, identifies what changes need to be implemented to ensure the vocational education sector is given the same positive level of attention as a university education: Industry training has to become more attractive for students and employers alike in order for it to be seen as a successful career path The roles of different educational institutions in the vocational sector have to be clearly defined to manage expectations, and Existing institutions must be independent and self-reliable so that they look for partners early and don’t count on the government to step in once the business model has proven to be dysfunctional for many years. Read more

Wellington (28 May 2019): As teachers prepare to leave the classroom on strike, a new policy point released by The New Zealand Initiative proposes a potential solution to the seemingly impossible impasse. "Minister Hipkins is in a thoroughly unenviable position," said Dr Eric Crampton, the Initiative’s Chief Economist and author of Biting education bullets. Read more