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What are foundation competencies and skills?

While this strategy refers to the need to Raise Foundation Skills so that all People can Participate in our Knowledge Society, it is not just skills that are important, but rather the knowledge, skills and dispositions that people require to be competent in a knowledge society. In this report, we use the term foundation competencies in recognition of this wider understanding of what is needed to participate in a knowledge society.

Foundation competencies are a set of skills, knowledge and dispositions in the areas of language, literacy and numeracy. These are essential to continued learning and active participation in society and family/whānau roles, as well as employment. Foundation competencies include cross-cutting skills, such as the ability to use technology. They should not be conceived of as a list of discrete and specific competencies, but rather as a bundle of commonly required, interrelated competencies. In the New Zealand context, language includes English and/or te reo Māori. Māori language is the gateway to te ao Māori and Māori culture and values. It needs not only to be preserved, but to be a language of communication across communities and accessible to all New Zealanders.

The change required to achieve this strategy

The overall goal of this strategy is to ensure that foundation learning results in real gains for learners and, over time, results in significantly improved literacy, numeracy and language levels in the population.

This requires moving foundation learning from a relatively marginal position within the tertiary education system to being a core activity, underpinned by informed professional practice and improved diagnostic and teaching tools. It also requires improving access for those who are not currently participating.

A staged approach to change is being implemented — starting with increasing teaching capability in foundation learning, along with improving the quality of provision and the outcomes for learners.

At the same time, connections and clearer pathways for learners between foundation learning and other types of education need to improve, including from school to tertiary education. This change will require stronger connections between TEOs and schools, as well as between TEOs themselves.

Over time, there will be an emphasis on increasing the availability of foundation learning to a greater number and range of learners.

Progress to date

The policy work on foundation education is focused on building the evidence base around what works in foundation education. This is leading to the development of improved professional resources to support quality provision.

At the same time, participation in foundation education courses continues to grow, particularly through the wānanga and polytechnics. In 2003, growth in English-based foundation education continued to expand at a similar rate to the previous three years, while growth in te reo and tikanga Māori foundation education has started to level off.

Over the last year, there has been a drop-off in students moving directly from school into formal tertiary education at the certificate level. Some of this is likely to be due to increased participation in Modern Apprenticeships. However, it probably also reflects school-leavers going straight into unskilled jobs as labour demand increases. The latter raises concerns about whether these young people have attained sufficient foundation skills to progress in employment.

While more Māori and Pasifika students are attaining school qualifications, they continue to lag behind other students in terms of school qualifications and movement into tertiary education.

The government has committed additional resources to support young people to continue in education, including career support and planning, tertiary programmes within schools, such as through the Gateway programme, and expanded places in Modern Apprenticeships.

Key challenges for moving forward

From the analysis of progress to date, the following key challenges for moving forward to achieve this strategy are evident:

• building the quality and effectiveness of foundation education, as well as improving access and participation

• supporting pathways for young people from school into tertiary education and meaningful employment.

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• Table of Contents

• The State of Play

• Cross Strategy Indicators

• Raise foundation skills

• Skills for our knowledge society

• Strengthen research and knowledge creation

• Te rautaki mātauranga Māori

• Pacific people’s development and success

• Capability and quality

• Technical and Data Definitions