Earn as You Learn programme expands

More young New Zealanders will be paid to train for manufacturing careers, with the Earn as You Learn programme expanding into Auckland, the Hutt Valley, Bay of Plenty, and Christchurch, says Small Business and Manufacturing Minister Cameron Brewer.

“Manufacturing employs more than 220,000 people and is helping drive our economic recovery.

“To keep that momentum, manufacturers need a pipeline of skilled workers, and this programme delivers exactly that.

“What makes Earn as You Learn unique is its rotational model. Students experience different manufacturing environments and career pathways, combining paid workplace learning with formal training and industry mentoring while they decide on their future.”

Brewer says the programme, developed by manufacturers and driven by Advancing Manufacturing Aotearoa, builds on the Waikato pilot, where students combined classroom-based learning with paid workplace experience while completing a Level 3 New Zealand Certificate in Manufacturing.

“As I discovered on a recent visit, the Waikato pilot has been a huge success, with the majority of those Wintec students now placed in full-time work.

“That’s what collaboration between industry and local education providers looks like, and credit belongs to the Government-backed Advancing Manufacturing Aotearoa, led by Catherine Lye.”

New cohorts of around 20 students will be established in each of the four regions in 2027, with further expansion planned.

“On factory floors across the country, workforce availability comes up as one of the sector’s biggest challenges,” says Brewer.

“Earn as You Learn is a practical, industry-led answer, and it sits alongside a serious Government commitment to vocational pathways: 10,000 more trades academy places by 2030 and an additional 1000 Youth Guarantee places.

“Modern manufacturing runs on technology, automation and innovation. These are highly skilled, rewarding careers, but they’re not always on the radar of young people weighing up their options.

“As we prepare for the 2027 intake, I encourage interested students, schools and manufacturers to get involved.

“This is manufacturers, educators and government working together to fix the basics and build the future, growing the skilled workforce New Zealand’s manufacturing success depends on,” Brewer says.

The first Auckland, Hutt Valley, Bay of Plenty, and Christchurch cohorts are expected to commence in February 2027, with about 20 students in each region’s initial intake, undertaking a New Zealand Certificate in Manufacturing (Level 3) alongside paid workplace experience.

Delivery in 2027 will be subject to the relevant training provider receiving appropriate NZQA accreditation.

Meanwhile, the Vocational Training Opportunities for Secondary School Students programme is expanding trades academy places by 10,000, to more than 20,000 by 2030, funded for $69 million over four years.

The Youth Guarantee scheme has been funded for an additional 1000 places from July costing $87m over four years, offering free learning to young people with no or low qualifications.

And $15m has been allocated for Industry Skills Boards, with the Ministry of Education to develop at least eight new industry-led secondary subjects.