A synthesis of ConCOVE Tūhura research and tools (2021–2025)

PURPOSE

This guide distils ConCOVE’s research into eight clear and evidence-based, actionable pieces of advice to the new Industry Skills Boards (ISBs), to lift outcomes across the construction and infrastructure sectors.

THE CORE PROBLEM

ISBs inherit a complex construction and infrastructure training system and a large body of existing evidence.

More specifically:

  • Employer capability, especially in SMEs, is uneven.
  • Trainer and training advisor roles are often unclear and under-supported.
  • Pastoral care and workplace culture are often poorly delivered.
  • Pathways from school into construction and infrastructure and through to higher-level qualifications are confusing.
  • Data is fragmented and incomplete, with gaps that make it difficult to get a full picture.
  • Funding models are outdated.

If ISBs do not use what already exists, they risk repeating known problems, commissioning duplicate work, and missing tested solutions that ConCOVE has produced.

WHAT THE EVIDENCE SHOWS

  • Trainers and training advisors are central to learner success and retention but need clear roles, competency frameworks, and structured onboarding.
  • Employer capability is a major constraint. Where employers have strong people, practices, and structured “academy” models, completion and productivity improve.
  • Needs-based support and culturally grounded approaches, especially Māori-and Pacific-centred models, lift outcomes and can shorten time to qualification.
  • Unsafe or exclusionary workplaces drive people out. Sexual harassment, discrimination, and bullying are real issues that affect retention.
  • A shared data backbone is possible. Regular surveys and agreed indicators can show how people move into, through, and out of construction and infrastructure.
  • Pathways can be clearer. Work on VET in schools, “front doors” into construction and infrastructure, and degree-level apprenticeships maps how school, work, and higher study can connect.
  • Funding models drive behaviour. Funding models can be challenged, and better models exist.

ConCOVE has produced evidence, frameworks, toolkits, dashboards, and case studies that can be reused and adapted.

Priority actions for Industry Skills Boards (12–36 months)

1. Use ConCOVE’s legacy work as the starting evidence base

Signal that ConCOVE reports, tools, and case studies are the first reference point when:

  • advising on standards and qualifications
  • shaping advice to TEC and Ministers
  • scoping new projects

Ask for new work to build on or test existing ConCOVE findings, not repeat them.

2. Make trainer and training advisor roles a core focus

Draw on ConCOVE’s:

  • sector-wide training advisor role profile
  • competency framework
  • kaiako onboarding resources

Use these in advice on provider quality and workforce capability.

Encourage consistent expectations across the sector so people in these roles know what “good” looks like.

3. Build realistic employer capability into your advice

Use ConCOVE employer-focused projects and case studies to:

  • describe what good training practice looks like in SMEs
  • support academy-style models inside firms
  • show where extra support or funding is needed for employers to train effectively on the job

Promote simple, practical tools for employers, not more paperwork.

4. Embed needs-based and culturally grounded support

Use ConCOVE’s needs-based support tools and Māori- and Pacific-centred projects to:

  • shape expectations for pastoral care and wraparound support
  • back Māori-led and Pacific-led workforce approaches
  • promote funding settings that support higher-needs learners rather than discourage providers from enrolling them

5. Support safer and more inclusive workplaces

Draw on ConCOVE’s work on sexual harassment, allyship, and safe workplaces to:

  • embed expectations about safety and inclusion into standards and guidance
  • promote bystander and allyship
  • link safety and culture directly to retention and productivity

6. Use the emerging data backbone to guide decisions

Treat ConCOVE’s Workforce Journey Indicators (WJI) and ConstrucTrend survey work as a base for:

  • understanding demand and supply in C&I
  • tracking equity outcomes and regional trends
  • testing whether new approaches are working

Encourage common indicators across ISBs, TEC, and providers so data can be joined up and shared.

7. Align pathway and qualification work with key ConCOVE projects

When reviewing or designing:

  • skill standards
  • micro-credentials
  • VET in schools approaches
  • degree-level apprenticeships

Use ConCOVE’s work on “front doors,” school-to-work transitions, and degree-level work-based learning as reference points. Aim for pathways that are visible and understandable for learners, whānau, and employers.

8. Explore new funding models

Use ConCOVE’s advice on funding vocational education and training to explore future funding models with industry and government.

Consider challenging outdated approaches to funding in the sector to build better capability for employers, and better outcomes for learners.

Why this matters

ConCOVE has already done much of the heavy lifting that ISBs now need. Its projects show that supporting trainers and advisors, lifting employer capability, strengthening needs-based support, improving data, and clarifying pathways all improve outcomes for learners and employers.

If ISBs build on this base, the sector can move faster, avoid wasted effort, and direct time and money to approaches that keep people in the workforce.

Bottom line

Industry Skills Boards do not start with a blank page. They inherit a tested body of construction and infrastructure evidence and tools. The opportunity now is to:

  • Use that evidence
  • Embed it in standards, pathways, and advice
  • Focus on trainers, employers, support, and data-informed decisions

This is where ConCOVE’s work points to the biggest gains for learners, employers, and the wider sector.