Schools Plus discussion document

From the Minister of Education

Young people who stay in school, complete their qualifications, and move into further education and training, have the best chance of accessing the full range of opportunities life has to offer. They are more likely to be able to care for themselves and their families, and achieve future economic independence and security.

The challenge is urgent. Each year about 14,000 young people (around 25 percent of school leavers) are leaving schools without a Level 1 qualification, and many are not going on to any further study or training.

Schools Plus articulates the goal of every young person being in education, skills development, or structured learning, relevant to their needs and abilities, until the age of 18. It is about building on the strengths of our current education system, aligning a range of services across government, and ensuring strong partnerships among all the parties involved.

Achieving this goal will mean transforming secondary schooling to encourage young people to stay and complete qualifications, and strengthening partnerships between schools, tertiary education organisations, employers, industry training organisations and non-government organisations to extend the learning opportunities available to students, and to connect young people to their next steps beyond school.

Delivering this change is not something that the government can achieve on its own. Young people, parents, families, whānau, the education sector, iwi, the wider community, tertiary education organisations and employers are all critical in achieving the outcomes we want for all our young people. Your engagement and input to these proposals are vital to success.

 

Hon Chris Carter
Minister of Education