More young New Zealanders will be paid to train for manufacturing careers, with the successful Earn as You Learn programme expanding into the Hutt Valley, Bay of Plenty, Christchurch and Auckland.
Small Business and Manufacturing Minister Cameron Brewer said that manufacturing employed more than 220,000 people and has been helping drive economic recovery. To keep that momentum, manufacturers need a pipeline of skilled workers, and this programme delivers exactly that.
"What makes Earn as You Learn unique is its rotational model. Students experience different manufacturing environments and career pathways, combining paid workplace learning with formal training and industry mentoring while they decide on their future,” said Brewer.
The programme, developed by manufacturers and driven by Advancing Manufacturing Aotearoa, was built on the Waikato pilot, where students combined classroom-based learning with paid workplace experience while completing a Level 3 New Zealand Certificate in Manufacturing.
Brewer found that the Waikato pilot has been a huge success, with the majority of Wintec students now placed in full-time work.
“That is what collaboration between industry and local education providers looks like, and credit belongs to the Government-backed Advancing Manufacturing Aotearoa, led by Catherine Lye," he said.
New cohorts of around 20 students will be established in each of the four regions in 2027, with further expansion planned.
On factory floors across the country, workforce availability is one of the sector's biggest challenges. Earn as You Learn is a practical, industry-led answer, and will sit alongside a serious Government commitment to vocational pathways: 10,000 more trades academy places by 2030 and an additional 1,000 Youth Guarantee places.
"Modern manufacturing runs on technology, automation and innovation. These are highly skilled, rewarding careers, but they are not always on the radar of young people weighing up their options. As we prepare for the 2027 intake, I encourage interested students, schools and manufacturers to get involved,” said Brewer.
"This is manufacturers, educators and Government working together to fix the basics and build the future, growing the skilled workforce New Zealand's manufacturing success depends on.”
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