As part of its mandate to improve the economic independence of New Zealand women, the Ministry is interested in ensuring that information on wages and the costs of education and training in a range of occupations is available, so that young people are able to make informed choices about careers.
Purpose
The aim of this project was to gather and analyse indicative data on wages and costs of education or training in a range of trade occupations and other occupations which use work-based training (rather than tertiary education), in order to provide a preliminary indication of the financial rewards associated with these careers.
Methodology
In order to gather this information we selected 7 predominantly male occupations that use work-based training and 7 predominantly female occupations that use work-based training. For most of these occupations we then contacted the relevant Industry Training Organisations (ITO’s) to provide information on the typical costs of training. We then contacted over 150 organisations to provide information on the typical wages and costs of training. We received information back from 115 organisations. These organisations were mostly confined to the Auckland region and as a result may not be a true representation of the overall New Zealand population.
We surveyed the following male-dominated occupations:
• Builder
• Painter
• Bricklayer
• Mechanic
• Electrician
• Engineer
• Plumber
We surveyed the following female-dominated occupations:
• Hairdresser
• Travel Agent
• Caregiver
• Beauty Therapist
• Café Worker
• Retail Sales Assistant
• Administrator
Once we had contacted the appropriate person in the organisation we asked them the following questions:
• Does your organisation employ apprentices/entry-level trainees? How many do you have at the moment?
• What is the typical starting wage rate for apprentices in your organisation?
• How long does it typically take to become fully qualified?
• What is the typical wage rate once an apprentice is fully qualified?
• What is the typical wage rate once qualified with five years experience?
• What are the typical costs of training for the apprentice to become fully qualified (such as fees, equipment, time off work)?
• Does your organisation cover those costs?
• What is the typical time commitment, outside of work hours, an apprentice needs to put in to complete their training?
• What is the gender make-up in your organisation?
Averages and medians for each industry were then calculated for wages, gender make up, costs etc. Gender make up for each industry was calculated by taking the midpoint or median of the percentages reported by the individual companies we contacted.