Our 2011 election manifesto - Labour Party

Labour will ensure a focus on the needs of each student so each can move easily
from a school or through a skills pathway to a polytechnic or through a combination
of both, or some other skills-training opportunity.
Adult and Community Education
Labour believes that Adult and Community Education (ACE) provides important
opportunities for learning and training, especially for second-chance learners and new
migrants.
The 2008 PricewaterhouseCoopers study into Adult Education revealed that the return on
investment of ACE courses exceeded $50 to every one dollar spent. Benefits were identified
not just in re-skilling, but community cohesion as well as health and social benefits.
Labour will immediately restore $13 million cut from ACE funding to improve access
to adult and community education.
Further funding will be restored over time as resources permit.
The re-introduction of the Adult Education funding will be accompanied by a review of the
sector. It is clear that many of the „soft‟ courses that were once offered have encouraged
second chance students, particularly those who left school early without qualifications, to reenter
learning. Many have then gone on to take more career focussed courses.
A future ACE sector would focus on offering a staircase to more formal subject areas.
With an ageing population, an expectation that a working life may be extended, and the
rapidly changing nature of the job scene, opportunities for adults to re-train and up-skill are
essential.
We believe that secondary schools should play a role in the delivery of ACE, alongside other
providers, particularly in light of the waste of resources from not using schools outside of
normal school hours.
Labour will work with the adult and community education sector on a plan to ensure
there is a range of quality, relevant programmes available in all regions of New
Zealand.
Refugee and migrant study grants
Labour believes that we must support refugees and new migrants to develop skills that will
help them integrate into New Zealand, find work and contribute to New Zealand society to
their full potential.
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