Canterbury to do well from launch of Modern Apprenticeships Programme

Clayton Cosgrove, Member of Parliament for Waimakariri said “Tomorrow’s first Modern Apprenticeships launch by Woolpro is good news for Canterbury business, and good news for Canterbury young people.”

Woolpro will be offering a national pilot in wool harvesting incorporating shearing and wool handling.

“Modern Apprenticeships are a practical example of how the Government is tackling skills shortages in our economy.

"Improving training opportunities for young people was a key commitment we made to New Zealanders during the election campaign. Modern Apprenticeships is a very popular policy and we have delivered in our first year in Government.

“This Programme is targeted at 16-21 year olds. Only 10% of the 56,000+ industry trainees in December 1999 were aged under 20 years. 3000 young people will be in Modern Apprenticeships by the end of 2002. This programme is in addition to existing training programmes available to all New Zealanders.

“Canterbury needs skilled young people to boost business, and this is an excellent example of what Government can do in partnership with industry”, Mr Cosgrove said.

Eight organisations will offer modern apprenticeships in Canterbury in the next six months during the pilot phase of the Modern Apprenticeships Programme.

The eight organisations are: Agriculture Industry Training Organisation (ITO), Apprentice Training NZ, The Electrical Training Company Ltd, Forest Industries Training, Printing Industry Training Organisation (ITO), TANZ Polytechnics Consortium, Wool Production Technology Limited trading as WOOLPRO, Public Sector ITO.

ENDS

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