Reform of Vocational Education - Workforce Development Councils

The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) has announced the establishment of six Workforce Development Councils, as part of the impending Education (Vocational Education and Training Reform) Amendment Bill.

Workforce Development Councils (WDCs) will help industry take a lead in making New Zealand’s workforce fit for today, and the future. Through skills leadership plans, they will set a vision for the workforce and influence the vocational education and training system.

With some amendments, the industry coverage for WDCs is primarily based on the Vocational Pathways and represents broad groupings of industry. Vocational Pathways link the assessment standards at levels 1 to 3 on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework to six industry sectors, and show how NCEA learning and achievement is valued by employers. 

The Six Workforce Development Councils and their coverage
The decision around final coverage areas will be made by TEC and confirmed through Orders in Council (OICs). Each WDC’s industry coverage will be described down to level 4 of the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC) 2006 in the OICs.

The establishment of WDCs will be enabled by the passing of the Education (Vocational Education and Training Reform) Amendment Bill expected by 1 April, 2020. All six WDCs will be up and running by the middle of 2021. This includes the function of standard setting that will shift from ITOs to WDCs. Please refer to the WDC Fact Sheet (PDF, 574 Kb) for more information.