A synthesis of three ConCOVE and sector-wide research reports (Apprenticeships Policy Evaluation; TVET Funding Review; Pastoral Care and Needs-Based Support)
PURPOSE
This guide distils ConCOVE’s three policy reports and wider project insights, to provide clear, evidence-based advice to the Government on how to strengthen workforce supply, retention, and productivity across the Construction and Infrastructure sector, supporting productivity, national economic growth, and regionally responsive vocational education.
THE CORE PROBLEM
While apprenticeship entry is reasonably strong in many areas, the bigger challenge is retention. Completion rates are low, employers are unevenly equipped to train, and priority groups (Māori, Pacific, women, migrants, neurodiverse workers) face predictable barriers. Fragmented funding, unclear governance, and limited pastoral support contribute to high churn and lost productivity.
What the evidence shows:
- Retention, not recruitment, is the biggest leak in the system.
- Pastoral care and needs-based support significantly improve completion and productivity.
- Current funding incentives reward participation over quality training and completions.
- SME employer capability is a bottleneck.
- Government initiatives are fragmented and lack coordinated outcomes/data systems.
- Culturally responsive support is critical for growing Māori and Pacific participation.
These findings are drawn from five years of sector-wide research, tools, models, and insights, providing a comprehensive evidence base ready to inform practical action.
Priority actions for Government (12–36 months)
1. Make retention the primary goal of apprenticeships and workforce policy
Agencies and ISBs should explicitly show how their strategies and contracts will prioritise retention, completion, and workforce wellbeing, turning policy intentions into measurable action.
2. Align funding to outcomes — not just enrolments Implement a blended model where funding rewards:
- apprenticeship completions
- employer capability
- proven pastoral support
- 12–36 month retention in the industry
- use of weighted funding so providers and employers are not penalised for supporting higher-needs learners and priority groups
3. Require pastoral-care plans for any publicly funded workplace training
Light-touch, practical expectations: a named support person, check-in frequency, escalation pathways, and whānau engagement options. The relevant agency administering the funding will oversee compliance, provide guidance, and support employers—especially SMEs—to meet these requirements.
4. Fund pilot Navigator/Apprenticeship Development Coordinator (ADC) roles on major public projects
Evidence shows these roles improve completion, reduce churn, and increase productivity.
5. Use procurement to drive better workforce outcomes
Include scoring criteria for:
- pastoral care
- inclusive workforce practices
- apprentices trained to completion
- supervisor capability
Weight these criteria meaningfully in major infrastructure contracts and apply them consistently across agencies (e.g., NZTA, Kāinga Ora, MoE) to ensure a coherent cross-government approach.
6. Build employer capability through a lifelong learning strategy—especially SMEs
Fund micro-credentials and short programmes (designed as practical, accessible learning for SMEs—online, on-site, or after-hours) and provide mentoring to support a lifelong learning strategy focused on upskilling and reskilling supervisors in:
- inclusive leadership
- mentoring and on-the-job assessment
- mental health literacy
- cultural responsiveness
Ensure these programmes are regionally adaptable, enabling local providers, employers, iwi, and communities to tailor training to their specific context, reinforcing practical translation into action.
7. Establish a national pastoral-care framework for construction and infrastructure workplaces
Industry-led, government-endorsed guidelines that set clear, consistent expectations without creating heavy compliance burdens, with space for Māori-led and Pacific-led models.
8. Create a workforce outcomes dashboard
Develop a workforce outcomes dashboard that tracks completion, employment retention, learner wellbeing, employer capability, and equity outcomes. Support the ConstrucTrend longitudinal survey to understand skills needs and to identify current gaps and future training needs, and blend this into the dashboard. This dashboard should be supported by shared data standards across agencies, with high-level results visible to industry, iwi, and communities—not only TEC, MBIE, and MSD officials. Use these insights to drive continuous improvement across the system.
These tools provide a foundation for future innovations in vocational education, including work-integrated learning and degree apprenticeships, by ensuring conditions for employer capability, learning-rich workplaces, and structured pathways are in place.
Why this matters
The reports collectively show that investing in quality training, pastoral care, and employer capability produces substantial returns for the economy. Reducing churn lowers recruitment costs, improves productivity and safety, and helps meet the labour demands of multi-billion-dollar infrastructure programmes.
These recommendations are grounded in five years of sector-wide research, tools, and insights and are designed to be adaptable to regional, local, and industry-specific contexts. Importantly, these investments also contribute to lifting outcomes for Māori, Pacific, women, migrants, neurodiverse workers, and other under-represented groups across the sector, while supporting New Zealand’s broader productivity and growth agenda.
Bottom line
Aotearoa New Zealand does not need more disconnected initiatives.
It needs coordinated funding, procurement, and workforce expectations, and stable multi-year settings that focus on retention, completion, and wellbeing, because that is where the evidence shows the biggest gains.
