2023 will see the reintroduction of fees, with the end of the government’s Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund (TTAF, also known as Free Trades Training) – on the 31st December 2022. This was initially introduced as part of the Covid-19 recovery fund.
Introduced in July 2020, TTAF has been a successful tool in stepping up the level of training toward nationally recognised qualifications that sit on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework. It has introduced new employers to training against national standards and lifted the base of skilled workers in infrastructure.
At Connexis, our learner numbers have grown by more than 100% since the launch of TTAF, to over 5500, a notable step up in growing the skill base of the infrastructure workforce and an indicator that the infrastructure sector places a high value on training to a consistent national standard.
The challenge for 2023 will be maintaining the momentum gained through TTAF, to continue to grow the skill base of our infrastructure workforce as we return to a fee structure that includes industry contribution. This will require employers to review their training budgets to support ongoing investment in upskilling their workforce aligned to national certification.
