In 2022, 36 percent of 84,275 apprentices completed no qualification credits (file picture) Photo: 123RF
The Tertiary Education Commission says there is no evidence of a systemic problem with apprentices achieving too few qualification credits each year.
RNZ reported earlier this week that the number of apprentices and the percentage who completed no credits had increased sharply since government payments to employers started in 2020 through the Apprenticeship Boost scheme.
Last year 36 percent of 84,275 apprentices completed no qualification credits but in some large areas of training 51-57 percent of apprentices were inactive.
Industry insiders told RNZ some employers took on apprentices or signed existing staff up for apprenticeships solely to claim government subsidies which were initially worth as much as $12,000 a year but were later reduced to $500 a month for a maximum of 24 months.
Commission chief executive Tim Fowler said its role was to check that apprentices were enrolled and active in an eligible apprenticeship scheme and were in their first or second year.
It also reviewed all apprenticeships annually to look at the level of credits which were being achieved for each learner and whether this was consistent with expectations.
"Due to the combination of the way that the different qualifications are structured (ie often with low numbers of credits expected to be gained in the first year) and the recent significant increase in new apprentices signing up, it is expected that the number of apprentices with low credit achievement numbers has increased.
"Based on our review of 2022 data we did not see evidence of a systemic issue of low credit achievement. We will be looking closely at the credit achievement levels for second-year apprentices as part of the next review," he said.
Fowler said the commission would continue working with the tertiary organisations that supported apprentice training to identify any employers who needed greater support or were not adequately supporting their apprentices.
"If evidence comes to light that employers are not fulfilling their role within the apprenticeship agreement we would take immediate steps to address that alongside the tertiary education organisations who support those relationships," he said.