Students will repay taxpayers for their tertiary education through “time worked” under a New Zealand First proposal, says Education Spokesperson Tracey Martin.
“Students would still have a debt to their country but we would shift this to a debt of their time and skills – they will use their talents to repay their country’s investment in their education.
“A year worked in New Zealand will reduce the skill debt by a year. “It’s time to change the mindset from a financial debt to a skill debt to your country. “We cannot continue to load students up with financial debt. It is unsustainable. The financial, social and personal cost is too high.
“This fits with our existing policy of debt write off for those spending five years in the regions working in critical skill shortage areas. “New Zealand First will put much of the tertiary education focus on workforce planning, career advice and competitive course entry.
“We can cut education costs by over a billion dollars by fitting the education of each person to the requirements of the workplace. “Students will compete to get into courses, to ensure a better fit between the student and the field of study.
“New Zealand First will also widen the apprenticeship scheme to include non-traditional areas, such as truck driving which will minimise skill shortages and unemployment rates.
In addition we will:
- facilitate short term internship/work experience, during and after school years;
- pay the Job Seekers Benefit to approved employers when taking on an apprentice;
- use bonding system models for certain industries e.g. teachers, nurses, doctors, police etc;
- introduce a universal living allowance which is not subject to parental means testing as a priority for all full-time students;
- repeal recent amendments to the Social Services Act which shut out full time students from accessing the accommodation supplement.
