Robertson Grant: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Robertson Grant: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 06 December 2012. Volume:686;Page:7267. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
2. 
GRANT ROBERTSON (Deputy Leader—Labour) 
 to the  
Minister for Tertiary Education Skills and Employment 
: Does he stand by his statement that those providers who have received funding for foundation level courses in the recent contestable process were chosen because of their ability to “deliver to those most at need of foundation education programmes”? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Tertiary Education Skills and Employment) 
: 
 Yes and in doing so I would like to point out to the member that in 2011 around 60 percent of people enrolled in levels 1 and 2 programmes already in fact held a National Certificate of Education Achievement level 2 qualification or higher. So one of the changes to levels 1 and 2 provision is to focus it on second-chance learners who can most benefit from it. So yes again we do need to fund providers that are able to get people in the door and deliver to those most at need of foundation education programmes. 
Grant Robertson 
: What action has he taken in response to the comments from Manukau Institute of Technology Chief Executive Peter Brothers who said: “We have been approached by some PTEs who are looking to buy curriculum and teaching materials from us because they bid for courses they have not previously been teaching.”? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: Well it may come as a surprise to the member that all the time providers start courses that they have not previously been teaching. The point to the member— 
Grant Robertson 
: So they’re qualified to teach it are they? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: It is important to point out that—and I appreciate that Labour Party members are very focused on the public sector union so this is pretty much something that they need to focus on—the focus here is on providers that can deliver foundation education. Their experience includes things such as Youth Guarantee Foundation-Focused Training Opportunities Youth Training and subcontracted levels 1 and 2 provision. 
Grant Robertson 
: How does a private training provider that has to ask a local polytech for curriculum and teaching materials for a course that they have successfully bid for demonstrate that they have the ability to deliver to those most at need of foundation education programmes? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: Well again I think the member is a little bit blinded by his approach but the reality is that private sector providers do a very good job of providing foundation education. They may be supplying new courses as part of this new provision but many of them as I said previously have been supplying Youth Guarantee Youth Training Foundation-Focused Training Opportunities and subcontracted levels 1 and 2 provision and are very good at it. 
Grant Robertson 
: How is it that a private training provider could be awarded the contract to deliver a foundation level course but does not have the teaching or curriculum materials to deliver it? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: I do not know how often I have to repeat this for the member but actually providers all the time have the opportunity to take up provision and then set up courses and actually proceed with those courses. It may sound weird to the member but it is sort of how the world works. 
Grant Robertson 
: Is he aware of the flow-on consequences of polytechs losing $32 million worth of funding for foundation courses which include WelTec cancelling English for speakers of other languages classes for 80 refugee students many of whom will not have the resources to enrol anywhere else? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: Again the member seems to be completely focused on the idea that the only good provision in his world is polytechnic provision and that is the problem we are dealing with here. The reality is that the polytech sector has done very well over the last 4 years. Its income has grown 12 percent. In terms of this year’s investments by the Tertiary Education Commission there are a number of things happening. There are the new competitive levels 1 and 2 programmes increased Youth Guarantee places more trade training and many polytechnics are moving up the levels. So what is going on is a range of things and yes providers are changing courses and it is an entirely appropriate thing for them to be doing.