The Global Apprenticeship Network (GAN) is a business-driven alliance that promotes work-based learning and apprenticeships across multiple sectors as a way to bridge the gap between the skills people have and the skills employers need.
GAN empowers people, businesses and communities to thrive in a world of transformation by delivering workplace education and training to align skills with the demands of the labour market.
GAN New Zealand:
- Strengthen companies’ and organisations’ engagement in apprenticeships.
- Shares best practices in the areas of apprenticeships, mentoring and on-the-job training
- Encourages effective knowledge sharing programmes and partnerships from GAN’s network of committed local and global companies and organisations.
Highlight of the Month
The future of apprenticeships in Aotearoa: Why updating the oldest educational model is the solution New Zealand needs right now.
GAN New Zealand’s host organisation Skills Group has recently published a white paper entitled, The Future of Apprenticeships. The paper argues that after years of restructuring vocational education, the focus now needs to shift from who runs the system to what it offers apprentices and employers.
“What we really need to do is modernise what it offers, make sure it’s responsive, get rid of a few old things and old habits and really expand both where apprentices can go and where apprenticeships can work.” (Josh Williams, Head of Consulting, Skills Group)
The paper comes as apprenticeship participation in NZ falls. Ministry of Education figures show total apprentice numbers dropped 14 percent between 2024 and 2025, and new entrants fell 24 percent. The five-year completion rate has declined from 54 percent for apprentices who started in 2016 to 40 percent for those who started in 2021.
The paper sets out eight calls to action:
- Fund skills, not qualifications. Move to a skills-first system built on a shared skills classification across industries.
- Make demonstrated competence drive apprenticeship duration. Industry skill needs, not “time served”, should determine how long an apprenticeship takes.
- Lift the Level 4 cap. Fund apprenticeships at the level the work demands, up to and including degree level.
- Unlock the flexibility already in the system. Let accredited providers vary delivery mode and mix without a fresh approval each time.
- Update operational policy and funding rules to support flexible, partnership-based delivery between employers and providers.
- Give apprentices the same student loans and allowances as every other tertiary student.
- Reward employers for signing up and completing apprentices, through a rebuilt better targeted Apprenticeship Boost with stackable sign-up and completion incentives.
- Support under-represented apprentices to get in and stay in, not just to sign up.
Skills Group Chief Executive Rosanne Graham says none of this requires another wholesale restructure. “We need an apprenticeship system that opens up opportunities for people, supports employers to train the workforce they need, and allows apprentices to progress as far as their skills and ambitions can take them.”
The paper also points to GAN Australia’s Return of Investment work and suggests a similar return on investment study could be done for New Zealand’s apprenticeship system.
Read the full white paper here: The Future of Apprenticeships: Skills Group White Paper
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Our focus areas:
Gender
Despite some recent encouraging trends, women are underrepresented in a number of trades areas. GAN New Zealand’s hosting organisation, Skills Group, has been part of a three-year research programme in New Zealand to understand the barriers to participation in traditionally male-dominated trades, and we believe the perception issues highlighted by the research can provide valuable insights to others, as well as continue to effectively advocate for much-needed change.
Equity and achievement
While there are persistent achievement gaps between Māori and non-Māori across New Zealand’s Education system, Tertiary Education Commission data shows these gaps are observed least in employer-led traineeships and apprenticeships. This finding is a testament to the effectiveness of work-based learning, standing alongside the substantial range of evidence we are able to offer the global network on what has worked to improve the participation and achievement of priority learner groups, and sustain these outcomes.
Employer capability
Achieving strong outcomes from work-based learning systems has as much to do with how we support the employer as it does with how we support the employee. We know that the drag on New Zealand’s productivity relates to management and supervisory capability, and as small enterprises dominate the New Zealand market, building employer capability can help businesses improve and grow while getting the most value out of their training investments.
Degree-level and advanced apprenticeships
While one-off pilots and good work has been achieved in some areas, policy and operational barriers remain. These hold back work-integrated pathways and apprenticeship models to achieve higher level qualifications, including degrees. As part of vocational sector reform and the qualifications framework, GAN New Zealand is keen to broker new connections between the higher education and vocational education sectors in New Zealand.