New Zealand to fund free training for aged care workers for next 2.5 years to aid COVID-19 recovery

Aged care is among a range of vocations where the Government has announced it will foot the bill for New Zealanders to train in industries where demand is expected to grow post-pandemic.

Education Minister Chris Hipkins said the Targeted Training and Apprenticeships Fund (TTAF) will pay the costs of people of all ages to undertake vocational education and training, saving apprentices and trainees between $2,500 and $6,500 a year until 31 December 2022.

Those who began courses earlier in the year that continue beyond 1 July will also be eligible for a partial refund.

The sectors targeted – which include primary industries, construction, community support, manufacturing and mechanical engineering and technology, electrical engineering and road transport – will also be further refined in 2021 to reflect the skills needed to support the country’s COVID-19 recovery, Mr Hipkins added.

The Government has good reason to fund the training – during the GFC, apprentice numbers dropped off dramatically as businesses looked to cut costs.

Aged care – both in New Zealand and Australia – has also historically suffered from a shortage of staff.

Will it be enough to persuade people to take up a new career however?

As I have reported extensively during the Royal Commission, experts and witnesses have made it clear that without a corresponding social change campaign to transform the image of care work, these kinds of initiatives tend to fall down.