UPfront Industry training up

The number of workers participating in industry training jumped by almost 20,000 last year to new record high of 126,870 trainees – 19 percent increase on the number participating in 2002.
The number of employers involved in the industry training programme also increased substantially, with 29,206 firms now on board – up from 24,576 in 2002.
The Government wants 150,000 New Zealanders learning on the job by the end of 2005.
The number of workers participating in industry has grown more than 500 percent in less than 10 years.
And total government funding for industry training has increased 70 percent since 1999.
The Government is working with Business New Zealand and the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions through the Skill New Zealand campaign to lift the number of employees in training programmes further.
“But just as positive is the high number of employers involved,” says Business NZ CEO, Simon Carlaw. “The statistics show employers are serious about growing high-skills economy.”