
This week’s major overhaul of the NCEA qualification system isn’t just about measuring academic achievement at secondary school. The government’s plans also include “working with industry to develop better vocational pathways” into the workforce.
The policy dovetails with big changes to the country’s polytechnic system, which have also been promoted as improving vocational education. Both that, and the NCEA reforms, go to the heart of an urgent problem facing New Zealand.