Minister Hipkins speaking with the media after his address and far left, Communications Manager Nick Wilson
The Minister of Education, Hon Chris Hipkins, visited Unitec for the first time today. He was welcomed onto the Marae before heading to a very full Red Lecture Theatre where he announced to staff a loan of up to $50m had been approved to support Unitec during its renewal process.
The announcement of financial support is very welcome for Unitec during this challenging time, however does not remove the need to deliver our Renewal Plan and create a sustainable organisation.
Mr Hipkins thanked staff for their resilience and patience, during what has been a difficult time for the whole sector. He said Unitec was not alone in its challenges – a statement backed up by his announcement of a $15m contribution to Whitireia and the appointment of a Commissioner to oversee Whitireia and Weltec in Wellington (the two share a council).
The Minister reiterated the Government’s commitment to Unitec and to ensuring vocational training remained available, but said significant changes would be required. He said the option to borrow from the Government was intended to provide stability and certainty for students during this period.
Roadmap 2020
Mr Hipkins leads the Roadmap 2020 project, directing the TEC to review the entire ITP sector, seeking ways to secure a sustainable future. He said today’s model of “front-loading” education early in life was likely to change in the future, and “Polytechs will become more and more important” as people look to continue learning and upskilling throughout their careers. However, the sector is currently in transition and for some institutes, support is needed to get them through.
“What you are doing here is important for the future. We want to work with you,” he said.
The TEC is expected to produce its “first cut” of the Roadmap 2020 vision within the next few weeks, although that is unlikely to be made public. Mr Hipkins said the TEC was looking at a range of options, and had been reviewing sector models employed oversees to see what worked, and also what had not worked.
Speaking with media afterwards he said a “blueprint” for the sector would be mapped by early next year.
You can get the latest Renewal Plan news and resources on our Nest page: The Nest > Our Unitec > Renewal Plan.