The New Zealand Shearing Contractors Association (NZSCA) has been delivering a pilot industry training model through its Trust, Kaiaka Wool Industry Training NZ. This is funded with a Provincial Growth Fund investment. NZSCA believes the model is delivering well to meet the training requirements of the wool harvesting sector, and they saw this success as an opportunity for the industry.
NZSCA approached the Food and Fibre Centre of Vocational Excellence (FFCoVE) to explore the potential to develop the model into a long-term solution. A hui was convened to test the concept involving the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC), Muka Tangata, Te Pūkenga, and the Primary ITO.
Following agreement from this hui, FFCoVE approved a project definition to develop an evidence base to inform best practice recommendations for wool harvesting training. This included historical activity, current innovations, and delivery models. The purpose of this paper is to enable a clear and shared understanding of what an effective workforce development model looks like for the wool harvesting sector. This could form the basis of a model that the vocational education sector can adopt in the context of the current vocational reforms.
This report is in two parts:
The first part provides a situational analysis, which includes results and analysis of both international and national literature reviews, and stakeholder engagement to gather a range of perspectives on effective training models, past and present. It is designed to provide the ‘state of play’ in terms of sector support, desired outcomes, and effective characteristics of training in the Wool Harvesting sector.
The second part, a situational assessment, provides an agreed context to and understanding of effective training delivery modes and the preferred training model. It applies insights and lessons synthesised from the analysis to underpin a business case for a potential model, including operating model and resourcing options.
The primary objectives of the research were to:
Collect, collate, analyse and evaluate the delivery and attraction approaches used for wool harvesting in Aotearoa, examine both national and international models, test the options against the FFCoVE’s vocational excellence framework and the new RoVE settings, and consider the broader applicability of the options across the Food and Fibre and wider VET sectors.