Earn as you learn: Pilot programme aims to address labour shortages

A new pilot programme, Earn As You Learn, has been launched in the Waikato to connect high school students with manufacturers across New Zealand.

The initiative provides students with hands-on experience in the manufacturing sector while they earn a qualification and a wage.

Developed by Advancing Manufacturing Aotearoa in partnership with Wintec, the Hanga-Aro-Rau Workforce Development Council, and the Waikato Engineering Careers Association (WECA), the programme aims to tackle skill shortages in the manufacturing industry.

The manufacturing sector contributes 8.4 per cent to New Zealand’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employs 10 per cent of the workforce.

Catherine Lyon, Chief Executive of Advancing Manufacturing Aotearoa, says the programme was created in response to concerns within the manufacturing sector, particularly an ageing workforce and the need for new talent.

“We have an ageing workforce, so we have a big chunk of the workforce retiring, and we haven't got the pipeline of the young ones coming through into the manufacturing sector,” she says.

Lyon says the programme seeks to bridge the gap between formal education and practical experience in manufacturing, addressing the evolving workforce needs in the industry.

Participants will spend two days a week learning in the classroom at Wintec in Hamilton and three days in paid, on-the-job training with some of the country’s leading manufacturers.

Students will rotate between three different manufacturing businesses, spending 10 weeks at each, gaining diverse and comprehensive experience in the industry.”

Lyon expressed enthusiasm for the initiative, describing it as a “tremendous industry-led collaboration to essentially design and deliver this educational pathway that will enhance the skills and employability of students and address these workforce needs in the manufacturing sector”.

The first cohort of 20 students, a diverse group of Māori, Pasifika, and New Zealand Europeans began their journey this week.

Lyon is optimistic about the programme’s future, saying, “We really look forward to tracking the progress of these students, and certainly the businesses that are supporting the programme, it’s a great opportunity for them to eyeball potential talent that they may like to offer jobs to.”