Muka Tangata actively supports the Food and Fibre Workforce Capability Strategy released by the Food and Fibre Chief Executives group last month.

The call to action sets out 12 strategic actions for the vocational education system.

“We’re supportive of the sector’s call to enable people to learn and enter the food and fibre sector,” say Muka Tangata Chief Executive Jeremy Baker.

Many of the actions reflect what we’ve heard from industry over the past four years:

• the vocational education and training system has made it too hard for employers to want to engage with it – employers are already walking away from formal training,
• high regulatory and compliance costs on employers – in an environment that does not acknowledge employers’ inputs into supporting training,
• a lack of flexibility – types and length of training; prior skills recognition,
• antiquated assessment requirements – not much option for using ‘naturally occurring evidence’,
• underlying funding problem – set, inflexible training funding rates resulting in low volume training levels, but with high value returns, not being financially viable for providers to develop and deliver.

Muka Tangata will work with the Food and Fibre Chief Executives group and the incoming Food and Fibre Industry Skills Board* to advance these actions in the interest of our industries.

Read the Strategy here: Food and Fibre Workforce Capability Strategy

 

*A new Food and Fibre Industry Skills Board will represent the food and fire sector in vocational education and training from 1 January 2026.