CATE New Zealand—eNewsletter #16

Kia ora koutou,

As we head into the final week of term 3 for 2024, no doubt many of you are looking forward to the upcoming break and the chance to recoup after what is always a busy time of year in schools. There is certainly a lot going on and a lot of information in this newsletter!

I was very happy to hear in the National Exec meeting that schools are continuing their own version of the Prime Minister's Vocational Excellence Award after it was cancelled earlier this year. You will find more information on this below, with examples of how other schools are choosing to run this. Please fill in the survey, as we are keen to collect data on what is happening out there so we can advocate for the continuation of this valuable mahi. It is important that we continue to raise the profile of non-university pathways from school.

Enjoy the rest of the week and happy holidays!

Ngā mihi,
Tara Heta
Kaiārahi CATE NZ
kaiarahi@catenz.org

Prime Ministers Vocational Excellence Award (PMVEA)
Since the cancellation of the PMVEA, many schools have decided to create their own award. Warwick Foy, Taranaki Exec member and immediate past CATE president, has confirmed that the majority of Taranaki schools will continue to offer the PM Award but call it the “Education to Employment Excellence Award.” He says, “Success in our subject areas should be recognised. In my opinion, an apprenticeship is a noble achievement and should not be seen as inferior to being the dux. It's not inclusive to write off everyone but the academics at prizegiving”. At his school, Sacred Heart Girls College in New Plymouth, they have a cup for the award, which is announced alongside the other big awards. Myah Newton (pictured below) was last year's recipient. She is training as a beautician and said the award was life-changing for her. She is so annoyed by the cancellation of the award that she has offered to pay for it herself!

Eileen Crawford from Kerikeri High School also commented, “We were really disappointed to hear the Prime Minister's Vocational Excellence Award was stopped. I spoke with the Principal about our disappointment. We have a family that donates money to our annual prize giving while their grandchildren attend our school. They have agreed to donate $1500 per year for the next 5 years for the Vocational Excellence Award. We are thrilled to be able to offer it for the foreseeable future”.

Wellington College has also decided to continue the presentation of a Vocational Excellence Award despite the Minister of Education's decision to no longer support this. Since its inception, the PMVEA has been the third to last award presented at prize giving, just before Proxime Accessit and Dux. The Headmaster has given a trophy and the school will fund a $1,500.00 prize via STAR. To identify this year's recipient they have used the same criteria as the PMVEA and sought feedback from employers as well as within the school.

CATE would like to see schools continuing the award. One way of doing this is for schools to use STAR funding for a cup and award so that there is consistent status for the award across the country. The intention of this will remain for students entering apprenticeships, workplace training, trades training or employment, not for university students.

CATE is currently collecting information on what is happening around the country in this space. Please complete this survey

Please feel free to share this information within your schools, community and social media so we can continue to raise the profile of non-university pathways.

Myah Newton (above), 2023 recipient of the PMVEA, Sacred Heart Girls College, New Plymouth

Lunchtime Byte
When: 25th October, 12pm
Who: Projects Abroad—a prominent organisation in the field of overseas service and internship travel for high school and university students.

Register here

Projects Abroad runs programs for high school students and school leavers in countries such as Fiji, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Tanzania and Peru.

In the webinar, the Director for New Zealand and Australia, Will Pashley, will discuss popular programs for year 11-13 students in the areas of community service and gaining early experience in healthcare settings.

The healthcare programs allow students to go on to further studies in medicine or nursing, for example, to intern at hospitals and community health initiatives, a valuable early experience.

Students in the service-based programs can choose from conservation projects, construction work, and school-based initiatives, as well as help with English, sports, and creative activities.

These programs can be formative experiences for students, such as tracking rhinos through Nepal, constructing classrooms in Tanzania, or organising sports events for Cambodian primary school children; the students take responsibility, learn new skills, and gain incredible perspectives.

The programs run over the summer and winter breaks and are ideal for individual students or small groups of friends.

The webinar will cover the philosophy and content of the programs, in-country support and safety, costs, and what the students gain from the programs.

About micro-credentials
Micro-credentials are small, stand-alone awards with set learning outcomes. They're part of Aotearoa’s education and training system.

Micro-credentials recognise learners' skills, experience or knowledge, while meeting demand from employers, industry and communities.

Micro-credentials that NZQA have quality assured are:

listed on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF)
1 to 40 credits in size
taught at all levels of the NZQCF
delivered by accredited education providers
developed because there's evidence they're needed.

Source: https://www2.nzqa.govt.nz/tertiary/approval-accreditation-and-registration/micro-credentials/

You can search a database of NZQA-approved micro-credentials here

You can watch a webinar from ConCOVE on the Potential of Micro-credentials in Vocational Education here

You can also find further information here

https://www2.nzqa.govt.nz/about-us/publications/insights-papers/improving-relevance-and-responsiveness-2/

https://www2.nzqa.govt.nz/assets/Tertiary/Resources-for-tertiary-providers/Stacking-micro-credentials.pdf

PATH and MAPS are graphic facilitation tool training
Leigh Gray is organising a three-day workshop facilitated by Interactionz to train Career Practitioners and those working with young people with disabilities, learning needs, etc to be competent and confident PATH and MAPS facilitators. PATH and MAPS are graphic facilitation tools for ‘big picture’, goal-oriented planning for individuals or groups. The training teaches on, and aligns with the Enabling Good Lives principles. There is a need to support our young people with disabilities and learning needs, so it would be good to have some targeted professional development in this area. The PATH MAPS would be a good tool to use with all people, young or old.

Where: Nelson
When: December 4th to 6th, 2024
Cost: approximately $1600 per participant, which includes workbooks, lunch, and refreshments each day.

To tailor this program specifically for Career Advisors, Career Practitioners, Learning Support Coordinators, and Teachers. Spaces are limited so get in quick!

You can find out more here

For further information please contact Leigh Gray

Consultation on NELPs
The Government is proposing to remove the statement of National Education and Learning Priorities (NELP) from the Act and related regulations for early learning, primary and secondary education.

This would mean that NELP 4, Future of Learning and Work, and Priority 7, Collaborate with industries and employers to ensure learners/ākonga have the skills, knowledge and pathways to succeed in work, will disappear from education requirements.

YEA has put forward some key messages that you can include in any submissions for this proposal.

The future of learning and work is vital in secondary schools for several reasons:

Increased Engagement: It bridges the gap between classroom knowledge and real-world applications, helping students understand how their education applies to future careers. Understanding the relevancy of what they are learning, drives engagement, which in turn drives attendance. Work-readiness learning in schools through programmes of learning, such as Gateway, Trade Academy, or the School Leavers' Toolkit classes, contextualises and provides meaning and purpose to studies. Student engagement rates increase when they can relate their studies to real-world applications. Greater engagement rates will contribute to the Government's attendance targets for schools.
Career Exploration: It provides opportunities for students to explore different career paths, helping them make informed decisions about their futures. The TEC 2020 report, Transitions from Secondary Schools, showed that our young students are suffering from increased anxiety levels due to a lack of sufficient and/or appropriate career support. Schools in New Zealand need to be better equipped to support career guidance for their students. Research consistently shows the multifaceted fiscal and actual advantages of extensive career education and guidance programmes. This research also highlights the role effective programmes have in improving post-secondary transitions, fostering informed career decisions, as well as enhancing attendance, engagement, and academic achievement.
Skill Development: Through work-readiness programmes, students gain practical skills and competencies that are highly valued by employers, such as teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. Work-based learning in particular fosters essential soft skills, such as critical and creative thinking which are crucial in any workplace and which studies are showing to be of greater importance with the advent of AI. Almost two-thirds of children in primary school will end up employed in roles that don't currently exist. With AI creating job displacement and threatening to outstrip workers' ability to adapt, schools need to be equipped to prepare their students for this rapidly changing environment.
Local Community Involvement: The future of learning and work programmes strengthen ties between schools and local businesses, fostering a sense of community and collaboration. Students can build professional connections, which can be beneficial for internships and job placements later on, and local businesses can generate a pipeline for their future workforce.
Reducing Unemployment and Underemployment: Our education system must cater to the 60-70% of students not on the pathway to tertiary studies to ensure they do not become NEETs. The intention of NELP 4 must be embedded in our education system to ensure that the Government can reach its targets of reducing Jobseeker numbers. Otherwise, the 50,000 jobseekers will be replaced by the next generation of NEETs.

You can find out more here

To complete a submission: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/N2T3PDN

Tristram Hooley—A Career Development Handbook for Low and Middle-Income Countries
Over the summer the International Labour Organization published a new handbook for career development for low- and middle-income countries. The handbook introduces a new career development framework that can be used to establish career education and career guidance programmes. It can be used to enhance, integrate and develop curricular and non-curricular activities and help organise online services. It is designed to support the work of teachers, public employment service workers, policymakers, programme developers and careers practitioners.

The handbook is accompanied by a paper on the theoretical underpinning for the framework and a guide to work experience.

All of the papers can be downloaded for free from the ILO website.

International Labour Organization (ILO). (2024). A guide to work experience. ILO. https://www.ilo.org/resource/other/guide-work-experience
International Labour Organization. (ILO). (2024). Handbook for career development. ILO. https://www.ilo.org/resource/other/handbook-career-development

Hooley, T., Blake, H., da Fonseca, P.M., Ribeiro, M.A. (2024). Developing a career development framework for low- and middle-income countries. ILO. https://www.ilo.org/resource/other/developing-career-development-framework-low-and-middle-income-countries

The Hobsonville Point Secondary School Pathways team is hiring!
This is a unique opportunity for teachers interested in the future of education, training and work. The pathways team at HPSS is central to delivering the school's vision, working collaboratively with curriculum and pastoral leadership teams.

See attached for more details or reach out via email if you'd like to have chat: Emma Honeybone, Pathways Leader: emma.honeybone@hobsonvillepoint.school.nz

https://gazette.education.govt.nz/vacancies/1HAiFk-pathways-teacher/