Hune | June 2025

This month’s pānui has the latest on the Government’s vocational education and training (VET) reforms. We also feature our deadline for receiving quality assurance applications before disestablishment, short videos about micro-credentials and Matariki, work to scope the floristry sector and a reminder to complete the digital survey by 31 July to help shape the future of the Aotearoa digital tech workforce.

Thanks to everyone who submitted on the Government’s draft VET Amendment Bill, which is intended to reform the VET system to ensure it provides industry with a skilled workforce.

Our submission highlighted the reasons why the Bill needs significant changes if the VET system is going to succeed, especially for the creative and digital technology sectors. We outlined why this legislation as it currently stands won’t create a more industry-responsive and internationally competitive skills system.

We have asked to speak to our submission before the Select Committee.

Waiting on ISB decision

In the meantime, we understand it may be mid-July before we learn the outcome of the Government's consultation on the number and configuration of the new Industry Skills Boards (ISBs) that will replace Workforce Development Councils next year. Industry and Toi Mai advocated strongly for the creative and information technology industries to be allocated to an ISB and not the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) as the Government proposed.

Mid-July doesn't leave much time for the ISB Establishment Advisory groups to be stood up ahead of 1 January, but TEC assures us it has everything in hand!

What is a micro-credential?

Watch this video for a quick overview of micro-credentials. Micro-credentials are smaller than a qualification and focus on skill development opportunities not currently catered for in the tertiary education system. They provide formal recognition of targeted skills, knowledge and experience that meet industry or community needs.

Content creation development

Toi Mai has developed four new Level 2 Content Creation skill standards covering video production, character design, 3D modelling and animation. The new standards are designed to foster foundational skills to support pathways into the dynamic game development, animation and other emerging technology fields.

Developed with input from education providers and industry, the new standards will shortly be listed on the NZQA directory.

Outdoor first aid

A new skill standard has been designed to give learners skills to monitor and provide long-term care in an outdoor emergency situation. Recently approved by NZQA for listing on the directory, the new skill standard (Level 3) was developed with input from the outdoor sector and education providers to replace the existing outdoor first aid unit standard, which was no longer fit for purpose.

Floristry in scope

Toi Mai is currently scoping the floristry sector ahead of a review of their qualifications. While the sector is small it is growing and includes a range of businesses from florists to flower growers and floral artists.

As part of this review, Toi Mai will engage with a range of floristry businesses to explore if current training is delivering the skills needed by their workforce, and if there are opportunities to enhance this. If you would like to be involved in this review, please contact us at qualifications@toimai.nz

Digital Skills Survey

We're undertaking the Digital Skills Survey again, which will feed into NZTech’s digital skills report. Since last running the survey, AI has emerged as a powerful tool and we've expanded the survey to learn more about wider skills needed in the workplace.

The survey is for any company, small, medium and large, that employs at least one person (or a team) who works in digital technology, including a web developer, software developer, network engineer, general IT support, etc. The goal is to understand the needs of digital technology skills throughout our country. The survey is open until 31 July.

National Occupation List update

Following Toi Mai advocacy, Stats NZ has added Group Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer as separate occupations on the National Occupation List. 

This will make it easier to gather workforce data and trends about these exercise sector roles.