Dr Jacqueline Rowarth: Education and the workforce NZ needs for the future

Almost everybody agrees that education is important. Photo / 123rf

OPINION

Education is the foundation for rebuilding the economy, and the whole education system needs work to ensure that the rebuild can occur, writes Dr Jacqueline Rowarth.

Education.

Almost everybody agrees that it is important.

Almost every party had something to say about new policies pre-election.

Almost all the news around it is bad.

Standards have fallen and staff at the universities are being reduced to the extent that whole programmes are at risk.

Although there has been some debate on whether there really is a problem with standards, there clearly isn’t a debate on funding of tertiary institutions.

However, the current focus appears to be on trying to maintain what we have.

A different approach, that of workforce planning focused on what we need now and are likely to need in the future, might offer a more sensible outcome.

The skilled migrant shortage list gives clues about where we should be protecting courses and encouraging our youth into careers where they can have their desired rewards and make a difference.

Engineering, construction, ICT, food technology and medical professions have been on the list for some time.

The personal care sector has its own list, as does the primary sector and anything that requires occupational registration and is in the health or education sector.

We know what the areas are, yet we’ve failed to take action to ensure that “enough” New Zealanders want to enter the professions that are needed by society.

In order to attract the next generation, we must ensure that they understand the careers they can have within the profession and the prestige attached to being an essential worker.

For the primary sector, “any entity whose closure would jeopardise the maintenance of animal health or welfare standards (including the short-term survival of a species)” was deemed essential.

Around the world, farmers continued their work, and, in New Zealand, doing so not only supported the country in terms of export economy but also assisted economic recovery.

Then Minister for the Primary Sector, Hon Damien O’Connor, pointed this out at the launch of Situation and Outlook for the Primary Industries in June 2021: “I continue to be impressed by the strong performance of our food and fibre sector, the driving force behind New Zealand’s economic recovery”.

Dr Jacqueline Rowarth.

This message needs repeating.

On top of the overt statements about value, Generation Z wants “more flexibility, more security - and more money.

The Economist asked the question of graduates last year, and though there has been plenty of comment about “values and meaningful work” being more important than money, for the younger generations, the security aspects of income have increased.

New Zealand’s new Government has the chance to change what has happened in terms of labour shortages by sending signals to the schools and universities.

Prime Minister-elect Christopher Luxon has already said that we should be backing farmers “like we do the All Blacks”.

Now could be his time to show how.

Across the board, education fees in disciplines and professions that the country needs could be dropped.

Fees in areas that are not on the “shortage list” or deemed essential could be increased to compensate.

Although this might result in an enrolment boom in some areas where the enrolees don’t really intend to commit, monitoring of attendance and results would ensure that the enrolees are learning – and nobody should complain about people knowing how to produce food or look after people that need help.

Across the board in disciplines and professions that the country needs, apprenticeships could be re-established, where people learn skills with an employer paying 80 per cent of the agreed wage, and government support increases it to 100 per cent.

And across the board, scholarships could be established for the top performers in the disciplines and professions needed by the country. These scholarships should be significant to show value and allow the recipient to focus on gaining skills and knowledge.

For schools and tertiary institutions, funding needs to be increased for core subjects to allow appropriate teaching.

Listen to Jamie Mackay interview Dr Jacqueline Rowarth on The Country below:

At tertiary institutions, the funding attached to different degrees needs reassessment to allow cost covering rather than the traditional cross-subsidisation from degrees that are cheaper to run to those that are expensive.

Massey University, recently in the news because of cuts at the Albany campus is a case in point.

The university has been reported to be running an operating deficit that has increased to $33m for the year to date; the College of Sciences, in which pure and applied sciences reside has been struggling.

National’s 100-day Action Plan to rebuild the economy did include some aspects of education – compulsory time on the three “Rs,” a redesign of maths and English curricula and dis-establishing the Te Pūkenga polytechnic mega-merger.

These actions are a start, but there are quicker wins to be had to ensure that New Zealand has the workforce it needs for the future.

Sending the signals about what New Zealand values and needs through fees, apprenticeships and scholarships in the areas of skills shortages should be high up the discussion agenda with collaborating parties.

Education is the foundation for rebuilding the economy, and the whole education system needs work to ensure that the rebuild can occur.

• Dr Jacqueline Rowarth, Adjunct Professor Lincoln University, is a member of the Scientific Council of the World Farmers’ Organisation and a Director of Ravensdown, DairyNZ, Deer Industry NZ and NZ Animal Evaluation Ltd. The thoughts and analysis in this article are her own. jsrowarth@gmail.com