30 January 2008

IPENZ – workforce skills strategy applauded

Governments plan to implement a Skills Strategy for New Zealand’s workforce as signalled in the Prime Minsters speech earlier today is welcomed and something IPENZ has promoted for some time.

“It’s great to see some action,” says Andrew Cleland, IPENZ Chief Executive. “If New Zealand wants to return to the top half of the OECD we require a highly skilled workforce, lifting our labour productivity as that’s the only way we can remain competitive against the mammoth workforces in countries such as China.”

 “IPENZ outlined to Government this need to up skill our workforce in our “Prosperity through Productivity Plan” in 2005, and we welcome Minister Hodgson’s announcement today. We face a future New Zealand where almost every job must be increasingly up-skilled if our country is to move forward,” says Andrew Cleland. “Our most recent data shows New Zealand has the lowest percentage of graduating engineers at all levels from trades to Phd in the OECD and to move forward we need a skilled workforce that can develop our infrastructure and industry to ensure future economic growth,” says Andrew Cleland. 

Source: OECD, 2006, Education at a glance.             
Type A: Bachelors degree or above
Type B: Trades

“We are pleased to see that the importance of building a skilled workforce is going to be actioned by Government. New Zealand has had to make do with a low number of engineering and technology graduates at all levels compared to almost all other OECD countries. We must lift our labour productivity, through having a highly skilled workforce, that’s what we need to achieve within the next decade or so,” says Dr Cleland.
For more information contact:

Andrew Cleland
Chief Executive, IPENZ, Engineers New Zealand.
Mobile: 021 311 879
DDI: 04 474 8935

Prepared by Julie Buchanan, Communications Manager, IPENZ, Engineers NZ, DDI: 04 473 2028