King Colin: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
King Colin: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:644;Page:13596] 
12.  
COLIN KING (National—Kaikoura) 
 to the  
Minister for Tertiary Education 
: Will the Government meet the target of having 14000 Modern Apprentices by December 2008; if so how? 
Hon PETE HODGSON (Minister for Tertiary Education) 
: 
 The answer is yes; we will meet the target of 14000 Modern Apprentices by December 2008. The answer to the second question of how we will do so is easily—probably about a year ahead of schedule. 
Colin King 
: Can the Minister confirm that the target of 14000 Modern Apprentices by December 2008 relates to the number of apprentices in training at that time and does not count those who have already completed their training; if so why in answer to an oral question of 13 November did he do just that—count both current and completed apprentices towards that target? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: When we say 14000 apprentices we of course mean those who are in training and those who have completed their training. It would not be a good idea to take apprentices who have completed their training and keep them in training in order to get to 14000. A good idea would be to get them into the workforce because the bosses of the land want apprentices as fast as they can get them. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: It is becoming impossible to hear. 
Colin King 
: Is a reason that the Minister is now fiddling with the Modern Apprenticeship numbers that after 6 years of funding totalling over $100 million and years of poor completion rates he has realised that Labour is on track to another broken promise to sit alongside the broken promises about 20 free hours’ early childhood education and new entrant ratios? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: I can hardly believe my ears. The member of Parliament who asked this question seems to want this Government to keep people in apprenticeships so that we can get to 14000 in training. That is not the name of the game. The name of the game is to get them through apprenticeships as fast as we can because there is a significant skills shortage in this country. I urge the member to strongly support the Modern Apprenticeship programme because 15 years ago his predecessors took an axe to apprenticeships altogether—one of the most stupid decisions ever taken in this country. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I did not hear either the question or the answer on that so if this level of barracking continues members will be asked to leave the Chamber. 
Colin King 
: Why is it that after 6 years and over $100 million in funding the Minister still cannot calculate a completion rate for the scheme; or is it more a case that he would prefer not to know given recent examples such as trainers receiving up to $165000 for only one completion and another trainer receiving $1.2 million for only 22 completions? 
Hon PETE HODGSON 
: Who knows what the last part of that question was about. Let me tell members how we count Modern Apprenticeships in this land. We start there and go one two three. We do it like that and we will get up to 14000 well ahead of December 2008. This is a promise that has been over-delivered on. 
Colin King 
: I seek leave to table completions to date and their costs. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table those documents. Is there any objection? There is objection.