1. Supporting Completion and Credit Achievement for AgITO Trainees
New Zealand Vocational Education and Training Research Forum 2011
Heather McDonald, Anne Alkema & Justin Blaike
(Heathrose Research and AgITO)
27-28 April 2011 1

2. BACKGROUND:
Lift credit and qualification completion targets within 3 years
Adhoc activities but no unified strategy
Research to assist with idea generation and activities prioritisation 2

3. Research questions
What are the primary trainee related factors associated with programme continuance and completion ?
What are the primary ITO related factors and to what degree do they support trainee retention and completion?
What environmental factors significantly influence trainee retention/completion?
To what degree do the factors identified above influence trainee exit and non-completion? 3

4. METHODOLOGY Qualitative methods
Informed by current research and knowledge
Focus group with Training Advisors
Phone interviews with trainees (text with option to opt out in advance)
Small survey of employers (not completed) 4

5. Trainee sample selection
Aimed for a sample of 75 people
Focused on equal numbers of those who had:
Recently completed
Recently exited without completing
Currently enrolled
Across:
Dairy (4 quals – 40 people)
Sheep/Beef (1 qual – 15 people)
Water (2 quals – 20 people) 5

6. Achieved sample 59 interviews
Two to three attempts at contact made before abandoning
180+ calls
Contact issues:
Phone numbers incorrect, inactive
Answer phones
Non-response
Timing/season 6

7. 1. What’s happening at Enrolment?
Employment tenure:
Most in job for less than a year; a third less than 6 months
Employment relationship:
Vast majority get on well with the boss
Training initiation:
Trainees initiate
Trainee factors:
Enrolled in multiple quals, high mobility 7

8. Role of ITO & TAs
Training Advisors played a strong role once trainee engaged – few suggest training.
TAs:
Explain the training to trainees and employers
Helped work out which qualification was best
Were described as helpful at answering questions
In addition, 97% of trainees knew what was expected of them during the training. 8

9. Reasons for enrolling
About half said they did not need qualifications for their job
All trainees thought training would:
Help them get new skills for their job
Help them for future jobs
All liked the idea of having a qualification for their work
While 4/5 thought they would earn more as a result of getting the qualification, money was not the driving factor. 9

10. Key Enrolment Findings:
Trainees have a belief that they can learn/ can succeed with learning and are self-determined in relation to looking to the future and a career in farming / water.
Trainees see value in training
Trainee mobility in farming – ease of continuing with training when move
Employer less influential at getting trainees to commence training 10

11. On-job training: On-farm training is valued
Conditions for up to a quarter of trainees could be better – i.e. chances to practise new skills on-job
Time for training on-job is an issue
On-job assessment needs further investigation – regularity & feedback
Changing employers appears to have little impact on trainees’ perspectives about their on-job training 11

12. Off-job training: Trainees value off-job training
Off-job training is readily:
Accessible
Relevant
Applicable
Utilised.
Written work is an issue for nearly half of all trainees… 12

13. Issues with written work
Reading and writing
ESOL / language
Content
Learning resources
Time
Note, those with writing issues evenly spread across:
Those who had initiated the training themselves or whether it was initiated by others
Highest previous qualifications
Qualifications enrolled in 13

14. Support: Employer really good at helping them through training
Those that always get on well with their employers report it’s easier to keep going with their training than others
Training Advisors
Helpful in answering questions and providing advice
Keeping them motivated,
Helped them to think about future career options in the industry
Trainees also have received good support from colleagues (87%); family (83%); and friends (78%) 14

15. Completing/continuing qualification & relationship with highest previous qual:
Those with lower level previous quals tend to find it harder to keep going
Said was hard(13)
Said was easy (21)
No qual 1
5th form 4
6th form 5
7th form
Sub-degree
Degree
Not stated 2 7 15

16. Motivators The future (23) Skills for current job (15)
Getting the qualification (15)
Support (10)
Enjoyment of learning / job (9)
Persistence (4)
Money (3)
Immigration (2)
Completing assessments (2)

17. 5. What makes it difficult?
Time (50)
Motivation (12)
Written work (10)
Employer (9)
Learning materials (2)
Cost (2)
Transport (2)
Other (4) 17

18. Time:
Long hours of work - start at 4[am] and finish at 6[pm] with 2 hour lunch
Push push push of the work and totally knackered at the end of the day - When I get home from work I can't be arsed
Understaffed at work so not enough time to spend on training.
Time off work - time I miss on the farm to go to class; staff on farm are too under-skilled to run farm when I'm not here; My boss keen at the start - less keen when realised the time it takes
I get time from the boss - but sometimes not possible
Other responsibilities – family/children, juggling own paper work and farm work 18

19. 6. CONCLUSIONS Key for trainee completions:
Recognise strong motivation and ensure support structures present
Time for training-on and off-job
Learning materials
Those who find it harder have:
Lower previous qualifications
Less positive employer relationship
Lack time outside work to study 19

20. Conclusions contd. The ITO can address: Messaging to employers about:
Own data records
Multiple qualification enrolments/ ensuring trainee in right qualification
Regularity of assessments and feedback
Better matching of learning needs for learners (e.g. reading, assessments)
Messaging to employers about:
Value of qualifications
Time required to train and practise
Value of good employee relations

21. 7. The AgITO Story… 21