Training opportunities squandered, says MP

new-zealand-labour-party

Sun Jul 08 2012 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Training opportunities squandered, says MP

Sunday, 8 July 2012, 6:40 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

Training opportunities squandered, says MP

Opportunities for young New Zealanders to be trained for the Christchurch rebuild are being squandered by a National Government which has no commitment to ensuring New Zealanders receive skills development and training in trades, says Labour’s Member of Parliament for Wigram and Youth Affairs Spokesperson, Megan Woods.

Of $42 million allocated in May last year for skills and trade training for Canterbury, only $7 million has been used despite 87,000 young people being neither in work, education or training.

According to Megan Woods this is because the Government has failed to plan.

Answers to Parliamentary questions asked by Megan Woods shows that the Ministry of Social Development is not even collecting data on the number of people who are currently enrolled in courses funded under the Skills for Canterbury programme which aims to ensure that young people who were previously receiving a benefit are now receiving skills training.

“The fact that this data is not even being collected shows that this National Government see no connection between our own unemployed young people and the training opportunities that exist. This is nothing short of a wanton squandering of an opportunity to set up some of our young people with a valuable trade and be part of rebuilding Christchurch”, said Megan Woods.

“That Ministers Joyce and Bennett are not seizing opportunities to offer hope and a positive future to some of the 87,000 young New Zealanders not in education, employment or training is negligent to say the least”, she concluded.

Megan Woods says that Labour’s policy at the last election would have kick started the process by using that money that would have been used to pay benefits to unemployed youth to fund apprenticeships, thereby giving unemployed youth a genuine opportunity to learn a trade.

Ends

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