The training gospel and the commodification of skill: some critical reflections on the politics of skills training in Aotearoa/New Zealand

Abstract

In the last two decades the policy context of vocational education and training (VET) has undergone radical change and transformation. This has not been unique nor has it been particular to New Zealand, as can be witnessed by similar reforms in Australia, United Kingdom, Canada and the USA. Despite national and regional variations, and emphasis on the approach adopted by each of these countries, a common agenda has emerged over the aims, content and desired outcomes of VET policy. With reference to recent policy developments in New Zealand, this paper takes issue with some of the implicit assumptions and purposes of the contemporary training agenda. In particular, it will question the highskill/high value-added orthodoxy that underpins the training policies of the New Zealand state of the last decade.