Posts by Paul Williams
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Of course. I just don't think we should expect it solve everything, or spread it around wastefully.
I fear we're too late for this. Having once led protests demanding free university education, something I've not abandoned but relegated, I've also had to argue the case for funding for industry training. I did not escape me that the people who'd most benefit from industry training were fighting over the scraps left by the unis.
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I'm not in the least bit surprised to read that many people first spurned by the education sector have later gone on to do good/great stuff; I don't think for one minute that NCEA, School C or any assessment device frankly can be relied upon completely.
But likewise lets not entirely discount the contribution education/training can make. I've had first hand experience of individuals, often adults, whose lives have been transformed as a result of their skills being recognised. Anyone working in adult literacy could tell you amazing stories.
One story, from forestry training, springs to mind. A bloke, probably in his mid '50s, was given an award at the national event the forestry training organisation put on. I think he was the oldest and top performing trainee in a Cert III in Silviculture. He got up to accept the award and was asked a couple of brief questions during which he became pretty emotional. The MC, can't recall who, asked what was going on to which he replied that it wasn't the silvicultural skills he was chuffed about, it was the adult literacy. For the first time in his life, he could read to his grandkids.
Think you could find a dry-eye in the place, doubt it.
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Well, I don't know how she was at the BDO in Akl, but she was pretty disappointing in Sydney (but I'm not a hardcore fan) although perhaps it was partly a function of having seen the Arcade Fire the day previous who were fantastic!
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This is why I would have thought 'years of schooling/training completed' would have been better than a flat age.
Good point. I assume you mean years completed with achievement.
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Re: the education leaving age vs. the school leaving age, etc. I think that, in practice, school rolls will generally increase with kids who would otherwise have left.
Which will, I suggest, make the experience all the more shit for many of the teachers who want to teach, and students who want to learn.
If that in fact occurs, I agree it will be unsuccessful. Youth Apprenticeships however may reduce this risk however the challenge is to find employers willing to take on the responsibility - some employers bitch and moan about the shortage of apprentices but don't appear to be prepared to do much about it themselves.
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I also wonder - I finished high school at 17 and a half, with bursary and whatnot - 2nd youngest person in a 7th form of over 300 kids. I went straight into university. But if I'd wanted to take a year off and work somewhere and save money before doing that - would I run foul of this Labour policy?
It appears so; odd that. Possibly something they'll need to work out however I'd've thought people with level 2 NCEA and/or scholarship would generally be about 18.
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Finn, I suspect your experience is not unique sadly. I'm not sure when you had this experience, however in my experience there are now far more and far better pathways to skilled and meaningful work that include training and the achievement of recognisable skills.
There's a big push in policy circles for better recognition of non and informal learning, the stuff you work out by yourself or with your colleagues, and that might be part of the solution too however I know first hand that industry training, training to national standards/qualifications, is working for many many learner/workers and directly improving workforce productivity. This is not to say it's all good, there's a great deal of improvement that can be achieved, but I've also seen some fantastic training in-situ in a number of industries; seafood processing, forestry, in the electro-tech industry and also in tourism.
I don't think we're arguing different points, however I do think simply letting young people leave school with no qualifications pretty much consigns them to a low-skill, low-wage future.
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Earlier in this thread there's a comment about Labour's policy keeping kids in school, or words to that effect, however that's not the case. Clark said:
The policy I am announcing today is for all young people to be in school or some other form of education or of training until they reach the age of eighteen.
Labour's policy is an education leaving age, not a school leaving age. Personally, I think this is significantly better for many of the reasons stated here to do with the the diversity of kids etc. There are many pathways to suport this, possibly there needs to be more, however the goal must be around skill acquisition, not just churning people through endless programs.
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Far more offensive is Russell's continued defamatory assertion that [sad clown in question] made jokes about raping another blogger. If it were me, you'd have court papers on your doorstep by now.
Yeah right. That's a Statement of Claim I'd like to see Blair. I suspect your knowledge of defamation is too informed by watching Denny Crane.
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I'm another one on the right who was annoyed by it, and I normally have a lot of time for the blog it was on.
Really, why? I've always thought of them as Beavis to Whaleoil's Butthead.