Union welcomes ITPs’ Skills Strategy
National Secretary of The Association of Staff in Tertiary Education, Sharn Riggs said today that union members welcomed
the initiatives contained in the Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPNZ) strategy paper “Building Skilled
Communities” that was released last night. “The paper’s direction is one which the union has been advocating for some
time” Ms Riggs said.
“Now is exactly the time for ITPs to be clear about their role in the development and delivery of first class
professional and vocational education and research. This paper takes the initiatives contained in The New Zealand Skills
Strategy Action Plan and maps out the role of the ITPs in being the first place of choice for education for a future
workforce, whether the students are straight out of school or already in paid employment”.
Ms Riggs went on to say that a collective vision for the ITP sector was long overdue and applauded ITPNZ in putting ITPs
in the forefront of the tertiary education landscape. “We want ITPs to the first choice when workers look at upskilling
and we want ITPs that can really make that distinctive contribution that the Government is looking for. This paper is an
excellent first step” she said.
ENDS