A Model for the Purchase and Contracting of Education and Training for Maori Unemployed

Abstract

This thesis is a reflection on my experience of administering Government training programmes for the Education and Training Support Agency (ETSA). It proposes that the approach taken to the purchase and contracting of training for Maori unemployed is too narrow. This is because ETSA's procedures are based on economic theories which stress the self-interested, opportunistic, profit seeking, and individualist aspects of human behaviour. These assumptions are seen in the conception of unemployment as a skill deficit of individuals, and the consequent use of the market mechanisms of, firms, contestability, specification of results and principal-agent contracting as a response to that analysis. The thesis proposes that this is an inadequate base from which to develop policies and practices in the field of education and training. It also proposes that this is an inappropriate base upon which to develop relationships with Maori who are significant participants in the programmes. My experience shows this fundamentalist view of reality to be too narrow and simplistic, and I propose a world view that accepts the possibility of several different views that could be held in 'dynamic tension'. Unemployment is a complex mix of personal social and structural factors, as much a consequence of macro-economic and political decisions as it is of the skill deficits of an individual. A broad educational approach that gives people the analysis and tools to determine their own future, that builds confidence, identity and skills, some of which is captured by qualifications, is the best insurance against unemployment for an individual, particularly for Maori. If ETSA is to effectively administer such programmes its processes need to be founded on an understanding of lifelong learning and an assumption of the validity and viability of Maori concepts and systems. This thesis proposes a relational model of administration that emphasises a relationship with Maori based on Article two of the Treaty of Waitangi and acknowledges the educational context of training. The model contains a range of variables that assist in selecting a market or relational approach to purchasing. This allows for a closer alignment between the interests of the participants, the nature of lifelong learning, and outcomes sought by the government.