The Youth Guarantee transforming education

History of the Youth Guarantee A struggling system? Vision What this will look like… Areas of Change Challenges and opportunities

YG: History In their election manifesto, National proposed a Youth Guarantee in which young people would have a universal entitlement to free education towards school level qualifications in both schools and tertiary organisations. In 2009, Cabinet agreed to a phased implementation of the Youth Guarantee by: Introducing elements of the policy in 2010 as a response to the effects of the recession that would target young people most at risk of not being engaged in some form of education, employment or training. Moving, over time, to a more universal entitlement to a free tertiary education for 16 and 17 year olds at levels One to Three of the NQF (now NZQF).

YG: History contd Over the last 18 months, Government has introduced a number of initiatives to begin addressing its commitment: Youth Guarantee places in tertiary - 2,000 EFTS at 39 ITPs and PTEs in 2010 (2,500 places from 2011). MITs Tertiary High-school. 8 new Service Academies bringing the total to Trades Academies from 2011, up to 14 from Tai Wānanga (Te Wānanga o Aotearoa) - on two sites in These initiatives begin to broaden the options available to young people. To fully implement the Youth Guarantee, we now need to look at the whole of system changes that are required.

The need: A struggling system? Too many of our young people are leaving education without the qualifications, knowledge, and skills they need to be able to progress to further education or meaningful employment. In 2009, 26.8% of school leavers left school without NCEA Level 2 and 13.5% without Level 1. 49% of Māori boys and 40% of Pasifika boys left without Level % of year olds were NEET in 2008, the 7 th highest in the OECD. Over 40,000 Year 13 students completed NCEA Level 1 only. In 2009 New Zealand had the second highest rate in the OECD of year olds not engaged in formal education or training. High levels of truancy, concerns about behaviour and disengagement within schools

Percentage of unjustified absence by year level and gender

Why does our system struggle? We have been very successful at increasing tertiary participation, in particular engagement and achievement through the university pathway increasing to around 30% of young people. But what about the rest? Many attempts to improve engagement and achievement of young people through vocational education at the secondary/tertiary interface have had limited success and have mostly been unconnected.

A struggling system? (contd) Unintended consequences over time: qualification clutter and unclear pathways. poor system performance for Māori, Pasifika and students with special education needs. lack of credible vocational pathways. few innovative and flexible delivery models. systemic pressures facing schools and how they contribute to engagement problems and solutions. undermining effective student choice. a lack of serious tertiary involvement. and more recently a trend towards poor employment outcomes for some degrees.

YG: Vision To ensure that all young people have the foundation skills, knowledge and understandings required for vocational or higher education and skilled employment. Government wants a system in which all students complete NCEA Level Two or an equivalent tertiary qualification. NCEA Level Two is now regarded as the minimum qualification needed to succeed in the modern world.

Implementing the Vision To fully realise this vision will require system level change that will challenge how the education system perceives and engages with education for 16 and 17 year olds. We need system changes which address this and provide a range of different learning models as a mainstream part of provision, rather than as add-ons. The vision is clearly linked to New Zealands economic and social goals – every young person has the skills and qualifications to contribute to their and New Zealands future.

What this will look like… Every young person is able to access a coherent and clearly defined pathway that engages them and offers them the qualifications and the knowledge, skills and understandings they need to be able to make choices about and progress to further education or skilled employment. Every young person progressing successfully to further education or skilled employment must include Rangatahi Māori achieving education success as Māori. Pasifika students having more successful education experiences. Students with special educational needs supported better to progress. Most young people will continue to do this at school. Some will have the opportunity to do this through secondary-tertiary programmes (including Trades Academies) and others will be able to choose to use fees-free places to study full time in tertiary organisations.

YG: Areas of Change Developing a coherent set of vocational and applied pathways leading to NCEA Level 2 or a tertiary equivalent qualification. sector pathways

each sector pathway will: enable learners to achieve NCEA L2. identify the learning outcomes valued by a sector. indicate that learners are likely to succeed in further learning and employment in a sector. be achievable through a range of settings – schools, secondary- tertiary programmes, tertiary organisations and part-time when employed. have a common core and be broad and enabling. be specific to a range of industries, but not specific to a single industry. lead to further education and employment opportunities, including university entrance (keeping options open for students).

Areas of change (contd) Improving student support services and careers guidance to ensure they are culturally appropriate and better support students and their families and whānau. Increasing the focus on the accountability of education providers for student achievement – knowing and understanding the expectations around outcomes, outputs and services for students. Creating viable alternative learning options for those students who do not wish to continue their education at school. An increasing number of fees-free places to enable study towards NCEA Level 2 or NZQF Levels 1 to 3 in tertiary organisations. National tracking and monitoring system to support engagement.

Opportunities and challenges How to best use the educational resource available to develop the learning directions needed by all young people in your community. The Youth Guarantee will change how we think and behave - This will be necessary to reflect student demand and needs and how we offer vocational education and training. - There will be a need to consider whether we can do this on our own or do we need partners. There will be a big opportunity to change delivery models or to develop innovative new models, eg. through secondary-tertiary programmes including Trades Academies.

Challenges and opportunities Establishing and working through partnerships. Responsiveness to Māori, Pasifika and students with special education needs. Stronger engagement with employers. Systemic connections with whānau and families. Reviewing learning and personal support services for students. Developing and ensuring sustainable programmes and services. Modifying practice to teach and manage year olds and vocational pathways.

Opportunities for Schools Multiple pathways framework and careers system improvements to help address student disengagement and underachievement. A clear framework for vocational pathways and qualifications. More able to meet student choice and course needs. Work more closely with tertiary providers. A chance to mitigate scalability problems. Working strategically with other providers to look at whole of community education needs and provision. Developing and building on current innovation.

Challenges and Opportunities for PTEs Help with Tertiary Education Strategy responsibilities. Understanding the strategic effect of those changes in terms of the network. Growth of fully funded Youth Guarantee places in tertiary education. Potential market expansion through Level 1 & 2 provision of the vocational pathways. Building on TOPs and YT experience. Partnerships with schools, TEIs and other TEOs.

Opportunities for TEIs Strategic Help with Tertiary Education Strategy responsibilities. Leadership of local education community. Promoting the value and importance of vocational education. Operational Strengthening educational partnerships with schools and key community stakeholders. The new vocational pathways available in both secondary and tertiary education. Growth of fully funded Youth Guarantee places in tertiary education. Trades Academies operating across the secondary-tertiary interface. Chance to improve the quality of level 1 and 2 tertiary qualifications and embed language, literacy and numeracy.

Appendix Manukau Institute of Technology Tertiary HS Blend between a secondary school and a tertiary institution. Combines years with years1-2 of tertiary education. Students can gain equivalence of NCEA Level 3 plus the first two years of a tertiary qualification. Dual enrolment at school and MIT – keep contact with school and utilise all MIT facilities. Encourages more personal pathways. 4 Year Programme: 30 hours per week. Core skills in English, Maths, Technology, Study skills and Introduction to Further Education. Gain Career and Technical Education (CTE) qualification.