Salesa Jenny: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSalesa Jenny: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 17 March 2016. Volume:712;Page:9877. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]12.JENNY SALESA (Labour—Manukau East) to the Minister for Tertiary Education Skills and Employment: Is he concerned about skills shortages in professions that require knowledge in STEM subjects; if not why not?Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Tertiary Education Skills and Employment): I thank the member for her question which is an area of great passion of mine in this portfolio. To answer her question yes which is why the Government has a comprehensive programme to attract and train more skilled people in science technology engineering and mathematics areas. This includes building the pipeline of students wanting to study science technology engineering and mathematics subjects through A Nation of Curious Minds and the Engineering - Education to Employment initiatives and working to lift Māori and Pasifika participation in these subjects. The good news is there are more graduates in science technology engineering and mathematics areas than ever before with Bachelor’s level or higher graduates in engineering up 36 percent in 2014 over 2008; ICT graduates up 43 percent; and graduates in natural and physical sciences up 24 percent over the same period.Jenny Salesa: How many teachers with science technology engineering and mathematics qualifications have been trained over the past 5 years; if his policies are so successful why are maths and science teachers being pulled out of retirement because of critical shortages?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: It is interesting the member raises that because I had a discussion with the Ministry of Education in the last week on whether there were any areas of shortages as the member has described. I am reliably informed that actually no there are not widespread shortages in that area. That is not to say they are not looking to train more teachers in maths and sciences but if you look at the advertising of those positions in the last few months since the start of the year my understanding is there are not unusual numbers of ads being placed for vacancies in those areas.Jenny Salesa: How will young Kiwis become proficient in maths and science when only 39 maths teachers and four physics teachers graduated from one institution and none from another?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: In terms of the teaching workforce again it is a matter of demand and supply. So I take a close look at what the Ministry of Education is saying. The Tertiary Education Commission talks with the ministry on an ongoing basis. If any shortages appear they do look to recruit people and encourage the universities to recruit people accordingly. All I can do is repeat for the member what I said. I checked in the last week on this matter and my understanding is there are not levels of unusual shortage.Jenny Salesa: After 7 years as the responsible Minister what is his response to a school principal who is concerned about “a huge drop or just lack of applicants” in maths and science teachers and has no idea where the replacements are coming from?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: An individual principal may or may not have that view. All I can tell the member is across the overall teaching sector that is not the case and I can tell her that the numbers of graduates in areas such as sciences is up significantly—24 percent over the last 6 years for natural and physical sciences for engineering subjects it is up 36 percent and for ICT up 43 percent. These are big increases. They may or may not be proceeding into the teaching profession but actually again from the information supplied by the Ministry of Education there are not widespread shortages.Joanne Hayes: What reports has he seen of skills shortages in other areas?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I am aware of reports that there may be skills shortages in other parts of tertiary education which I am looking into. Of course the one that is perhaps most prominent in recent days has been the area of culinary arts where I understand we are possibly importing Chinese chefs to work in Chinese restaurants and we are also possibly importing Viet Namese chefs to work in Viet Namese restaurants Thai chefs to work in Thai restaurants and possibly even Japanese chefs to work in teppan-yaki restaurants. This is outrageous—it is frankly appalling! We need to stop this immediately and I think the answer is actually to pass a law in this House renaming those restaurants. I think the Little India restaurants should be renamed “Little Invercargill” and we will close this problem down immediately.