Apprenticeship numbers hit 15-year low
Apprenticeship and workplace training numbers in New Zealand have fallen to a 15-year low, dropping 32% since 2022. Industry experts warn that this decline, driven by economic struggles and policy changes, will create significant labor shortages in critical infrastructure sectors.
Why it matters
The decline in vocational training threatens the country's ability to execute major infrastructure projects and increases reliance on immigration to fill labor gaps.
The number of people in apprenticeships and workplace training hit a 15-year low last year and continued falling in the first quarter of the year.
Education Ministry figures showed there were 108,315 people in workplace-based learning last year, fewer than in any year since 2011 and down 32 percent from a 15-year high of 158,570 reached in 2022.
A briefing to Tertiary Education Minister Penny Simmonds in July showed enrolments had fallen further in the first three months of the year - 11 percent lower than in the same period of 2025.
Industry insiders said the drop was caused by factors including a struggling economy, the expiry of various government subsidies for apprentices, and several years of change in vocational education and training policy.
The annual figures showed workplace learning in Agriculture and Environmental Studies was worst hit, halving since 2022 to 9390 learners.
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