New Zealand’s on-the-job training programme reaches 5,000 people

The Mana in Mahi programme, which is aimed at getting beneficiaries connected with employers, had reached 5,000 participants – 64% of whom are under 24 – and 75% of those who had been on a benefit for two or more years had not returned to the benefit after getting work.

Nearly 90% of people on the training pathway are on the path to getting a qualification at the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) level 3 or higher, and 44% are Māori or Pasifika, according to the Ministry of Social Development (MSD).

Launched in 2018, the programme was extended in 2019 and the government set a target of 4,000 participants.

Ardern was visiting Contract Warehousing in the Auckland suburb of East Tāmaki last Thursday and spoke to the media after she toured the facility.

“Personally, I feel very attached to Mana in Mahi,” Ardern said, adding that work can be a pathway to success for students who struggled with formal education, and that Mana in Mahi incentivises employers to take that chance on them.

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Mana in Mahi is a work and income initiative to support citizens or residents to study while they work with dedicated support from professionals. The programme, which means “strength in work”, supports beneficiaries aged between 18 and 24 with apprenticeships and on-the-job training, according to Stuff.