Current Issues in Vocational Education and Training in New Zealand. Occasional Paper No. 127.

The five main issues that are currently confronting vocational educators and policymakers in New Zealand are as follows: participation rates in vocational education and training, the changing role of vocational education and training in secondary schools, new initiatives in light of youth unemployment and transition difficulties, recognition of competence, and responsiveness of the system to the need for change. The labor and skill shortages that were endemic in New Zealand in the past provided even unskilled early school leavers with easy access to employment. Thus, dropout rates were traditionally high and participation rates in continuing education were low. As the country's employment picture changes, however, there is growing awareness of the need for initiatives in vocational education and training, both within the formal education system and at the point of transition from school to work. The country's new ACCESS program is a response to the transition problem. ACCESS is a new system of community-based transition education and training to provide for job seekers who do not choose the traditional options of apprenticeship, further study, or direct entry into the work force. (MN)