51764 (2024). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills

51764 (2024). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills: What actions, if any, is the Minister taking within the Tertiary Education and Skills portfolio, to try and meet New Zealand's social worker shortages?

Hon Penny Simmonds: The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) is the Government’s key agency for investing in tertiary education. Each year the TEC advises tertiary education organisations (TEOs) of its priorities for investment. Social work is an investment priority for 2025 investment and has been since 2023. This means funding has been and will be directed to support growth in social work qualifications that lead to registration with the Social Workers Registration Board. The TEC is also seeking improvements to retention and completion rates. In 2023, the funding rate for the practicum component of social work programmes increased to reflect the additional cost of practicums to TEOs.