16 December 2010
The TEC has today published educational performance information for industry training organisations. This follows the release earlier this year of performance information for other types of tertiary education.
Chief Executive Dr Roy Sharp said; “the information released today provides a snapshot of the educational achievement of industry trainees from 2009 across the 38 ITOs. However this is only a first step in a wider programme of work that is already underway to improve educational performance across the tertiary education sector.”
“This includes the introduction of performance linked funding, and new operational funding rules that will improve the educational and financial performance of the industry training system and ensure taxpayers’ money is spent supporting trainees to achieve.”
“This information gives us a base for reporting on ITO educational performance into the future. Over the next few years, as a result of the work on improving performance, we expect to see improving trends in ITO performance.”
“At the same time, ITOs in their recently approved investment Plans have shown they are putting in place strategies to improve the quality of the tertiary provision they facilitate and purchase, and address the needs of trainees in relation to the priority areas of the Tertiary Education Strategy.”
Background facts about ITO performance information
The information on ITOs is based on their 2009 trainees. Industry training is designed to be flexible and allow trainees to fit in training around their work. The industry training system is competency-based and learning often does not have well-defined start and end dates. This means that there can be lag between trainees commencing their learning, and the reporting of credit achievement.
It also means that a large number of credits are often reported at the end of training, which can affect both the credit achievement rates, and the programme completion rates at some ITOs.
An example of this can be seen with the Real ITO. In 2009, it reported that only 1% of its trainees had completed programmes. This is due to the fact it is a small and relatively new ITO, which only arranges delivery of training for three qualifications, all of which have been introduced in the past two years.
At the same time, the cyclical nature of industry training can also have an impact on how performance is reported. For example, the Building and Construction ITO reported a very large number of credits throughout 2009. These were from trainees who were completing their training at that time. Since then, the number of trainees in the building and construction industry has dropped substantially. Due to this, credit achievement in future years is likely to be lower.
Therefore caution should be exercised when interpreting this data.
A full list of ITOs and the industries they cover is available.
For further information contact the TEC media team on media@tec.govt.nz or phone 027 285 3371.