NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Changes freeze out older jobless

Simon Collins
By Simon Collins
Reporter·NZ Herald·
22 Sep, 2013 08:30 PM6 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Foundation training scheme revamped to focus on quicker results for unemployed aged under 25

Older long-term unemployed people look set to lose out in a radical reshuffle of foundation education which will give higher priority to young people and others who can move into work quickly.

The Foundation-Focused Training Opportunities (FFTO) scheme - the last remnant of the long-running Training Opportunities Programmes (TOPs) for the unemployed - is being axed from the end of this year because people referred to it were found to be actually less likely to move off benefits than a matched group who were not referred to it.

Cabinet papers provided by Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce show that about a fifth of its $46.8 million budget will be preserved for 1420 trainees using the scheme to learn English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), and for a further 1350 trainees with very low literacy who will get intensive literacy and numeracy tuition.

But more than two-thirds of the money will be transferred to other Work and Income programmes including short courses aimed at placing trainees into work, job subsidies and other costs of welfare reform such as more case managers.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The final one-eighth of the money ($5.8 million) will pay for abolishing fees for about 1475 students aged 20-24 who are studying foundation courses at levels 1 and 2 on the qualifications framework.

Along with a separate move to extend the fees-free Youth Guarantee scheme from the current maximum age of 17 up to age 19, this means all school leavers without a level 2 qualification will be able to enrol in free level 1 and 2 courses up to age 25.

Independent Tertiary Education NZ chairwoman Christine Clark, who represents most of the 108 private training institutes that provide FFTO courses, said the changes would be positive for many of the 4963 trainees (53 per cent) who are under age 25. But she is concerned for the 4416 (47 per cent) aged 25 and over.

"The older, most disadvantaged beneficiaries do not appear to be catered for."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

She said they were not suitable for one- to three-month straight-to-work courses and needed at least the six-month fulltime courses they could get now under FFTO.

"FFTO are your long-term unemployed.

"They come with a lot of problems. They need to get teeth, they need hearing aids, they need to learn to walk," she said. "They are missing out."

The changes follow a long-term decline in all level 1 and 2 tertiary study from 32,500 fulltime-equivalents in 2005 to 22,300 last year.

Discover more

New Zealand|education

NZ university rankings fall

10 Sep 03:52 AM
New Zealand|education

Wide open university

13 Sep 05:30 PM
New Zealand|education

Soon: e-tests for uni students

13 Sep 05:30 PM

The Tertiary Education Commission forecasts a continued fall in mainstream level 1 and 2 training (excluding Youth Guarantee) from 15,451 fulltime-equivalents this year to just over 13,000 in each of the next two years.

The commission's tertiary investment manager, Grant Klinkum, said this reflected tighter rules to stop people "simply repeating foundation learning for little benefit".

There was also an unintended 15 per cent drop in level 1 and 2 ESOL places in the mainstream tertiary system this year after a third of the funding was put out to tender a year ago, including private companies for the first time. Some winning providers chose to use the money for other subjects.

Refugee grandfather struggles with system

Burmese grandfather Lian Pu Taithul walks an hour each way to get to an English class because our student allowance system is not designed for older students - and is about to become even tougher for them.

The 55-year-old refugee who came here in 2011 receives $369.68 a week on a married student allowance including a $40 accommodation benefit. But his rent for a three bedroom house in Ranui is $370.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

His wife, Vung Go Niang, 57, is not studying so she has been able to get a higher accommodation supplement and temporary additional support from Work and Income totalling $128.78 a week. But that is only just enough for basic food and utility bills, leaving nothing for bus fares.

"The bus ticket for one trip is $1.90. That's $3.80 up and down. I'm still walking," Mr Taithul said.

He leaves home at 7.30am to get to Unitec's Henderson campus by 8.30am, and walks home by the same route after his class finishes at 2pm.

If his wife went on to a student allowance too, which she would need to do if she is ever to learn enough English to work and participate in Kiwi society, she would lose entitlement to Work and Income supplements and go on to a $40 student accommodation benefit. They could not live on that with their current rent.

Unitec Student Union president Ben Kevey said the student allowance system was designed for young, single university students - not for older married students at polytechnics and training institutes.

Tertiary Education Union president Lesley Francey, an English tutor at Manukau Institute of Technology, said the system would get even harder for older students next year when the student allowance will be stopped after three years for students aged 40 and over. Younger ones are allowed up to five years.

"If we are going to offer refugees settlement in New Zealand, then we have an absolute duty of care to look after them. The basic requirement to exist in a new country is the ability to communicate."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

A Ministry of Social Development spokesman said an "administrative error" meant Mrs Niang was receiving $7.77 a week less than her entitlement. The ministry has backdated the correct rate to July, raising the couple's total income to $520.23, or $506.23 a week after deducting a $14 repayment for a previous Work and Income advance.

It also paid Mr Taithul a $1000 student loan last week for course costs such as travel. He plans to use it to pay off bills.

Mrs Niang is on a waiting list for a beginners English class at the Waitakere Workers Educational Association.

Shifting foundations

This year

$46.8m: Foundation-Focused Training Opportunities (FFTO)

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

53 per cent aged under 25, 47 per cent aged 25+

Next year

$20m: Transfer to welfare reform

$12.3m: Short courses and job subsidies

$5.8m: Abolish level 1-2 fees under age 25

$5.3m: Preserve FFTO ESOL

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

$3.4m: Preserve FFTO intensive literacy and numeracy

Read the Cabinet Papers here: Cabinet paper one, Cabinet paper two

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand|crime

Robber stole woman's $2k pokie winnings and left her unconscious outside bar

08 Jul 07:00 AM
New Zealand

'Avoid the area': Pedestrian injured after accident with car in Blenheim

08 Jul 06:30 AM
CrimeUpdated

'Terrified': Father and daughter hostages speak of Nelson standoff ordeal

08 Jul 06:16 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Recommended for you
'Spiralling costs': Auckland cafe named after Jacinda Ardern motto closes
Lifestyle

'Spiralling costs': Auckland cafe named after Jacinda Ardern motto closes

08 Jul 07:00 AM
Robber stole woman's $2k pokie winnings and left her unconscious outside bar
New Zealand

Robber stole woman's $2k pokie winnings and left her unconscious outside bar

08 Jul 07:00 AM
'Avoid the area': Pedestrian injured after accident with car in Blenheim
New Zealand

'Avoid the area': Pedestrian injured after accident with car in Blenheim

08 Jul 06:30 AM
Tanah time: Boyd to make Warriors debut against Tigers
Warriors

Tanah time: Boyd to make Warriors debut against Tigers

08 Jul 06:27 AM
'Terrified': Father and daughter hostages speak of Nelson standoff ordeal
Crime

'Terrified': Father and daughter hostages speak of Nelson standoff ordeal

08 Jul 06:16 AM

Latest from New Zealand

Robber stole woman's $2k pokie winnings and left her unconscious outside bar

Robber stole woman's $2k pokie winnings and left her unconscious outside bar

08 Jul 07:00 AM

She was dragged by the robber’s car when she fought to get her money back.

'Avoid the area': Pedestrian injured after accident with car in Blenheim

'Avoid the area': Pedestrian injured after accident with car in Blenheim

08 Jul 06:30 AM
'Terrified': Father and daughter hostages speak of Nelson standoff ordeal

'Terrified': Father and daughter hostages speak of Nelson standoff ordeal

08 Jul 06:16 AM
Health NZ backs down on proposal to cut maternity and gynaecology beds

Health NZ backs down on proposal to cut maternity and gynaecology beds

08 Jul 05:50 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search