NZ drives workforce development with Apprenticeship Boost

New Zealand’s Apprenticeship Boost initiative, introduced in August 2020 to invest in people and bridge skills gaps, has achieved a significant milestone by providing support to 20,000 employers. This initiative has also enabled nearly 62,000 apprentices to embark on and continue their training in various trades.

Carmel Sepuloni, Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand and Minister for Social Development and Employment, said, “Our priority has been to invest in our people and their futures by providing them with opportunities for meaningful employment. Supporting these 20,000 employers has delivered a win-win for Kiwis looking for work and organisations in need of employees.”

She highlighted the government’s commitment to keeping unemployment low and fostering economic growth through strategic investments in workforce development, and elaborated, “Programmes like Apprenticeship Boost, Mana in Mahi, He Poutama Rangatahi and Māori Trades and Training have all been pivotal in keeping people in jobs and supporting employers to invest in jobseekers.”

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Jan Tinetti, Minister of Education, emphasised the critical role played by Apprenticeship Boost in meeting the high demand for skilled labour. “Apprenticeship Boost is helping us to deliver key infrastructure projects, increase our housing stock and supply, and build the workforce needed to take us forward,” she said.

Tinetti also celebrated the growing participation of women in apprenticeships, particularly in traditionally male-dominated sectors such as construction and architecture. These sectors, according to her, have witnessed a 207% increase in women apprentices since 2020, with 850 more women taking up these roles.

“I’m incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made in education, employment and training due to the success of programmes like Apprenticeship Boost,” Tinetti concluded.