Vocational education forum marks 20 years

New Zealand’s leading vocational education research event is marking two decades of bringing researchers, educators, employers and policymakers together, with abstract submissions and registrations now open for the 20th New Zealand Vocational Education and Training Research Forum.

Co-hosted by Skills Group and BCITO, this year’s forum carries the theme Building Bridges, reflecting the idea that the sector’s future depends on stronger links between research, policy, education and industry.

The theme lands at a time when vocational education is under growing pressure to keep pace with rapid shifts in technology, changing industry demands and a workforce that increasingly needs to retrain and upskill throughout a working life rather than complete a single qualification and stop.

Josh Williams, Chair of the NZVETRF Steering Committee and Head of Consulting at Skills Group, says vocational education has an increasingly important role to play in New Zealand’s economic and social future.

“Across New Zealand, we are asking how we respond to changing technologies, develop the skills industries need and create better opportunities for learners throughout their lives.

“No single organisation or policy will provide all the answers. Progress comes from bringing together good ideas, robust evidence and practical experience and that is what NZVETRF has done for the past 20 years.”

Williams says the Forum’s enduring strength is its focus on research with practical value. “Some of the most valuable research in vocational education does more than explain a problem. It helps improve teaching, strengthen learner success, inform policy and support employers to build capability.”

Over its twenty-year history, the forum has built a reputation as a place where academic research, government policy and on the ground industry experience are tested against each other, rather than developed in isolation.

Organisers say that cross pollination has become increasingly important as the pace of change across trades and vocational sectors accelerates, with employers, educators and researchers often working from different assumptions about what the sector needs.

BCITO Chief Executive Officer Jason Hungerford says the Building Bridges theme reflects the partnerships needed to ensure vocational education continues to evolve alongside industry.

“Vocational education is strongest when researchers, educators, employers and industry work together. By sharing ideas, evidence and practical experience, we can build stronger pathways for learners and deliver the skills New Zealand’s industries need.

“We’re proud to partner with Skills Group on this milestone forum and encourage people from across the sector to contribute their research, insights and experiences. The conversations that begin here have the potential to shape vocational education for years to come.”

The forum has grown over two decades into one of the country’s key national gatherings for vocational education research, drawing people from education, industry and government with a shared focus on improving learner outcomes, strengthening partnerships and informing decision making.

Organisers are calling for abstract submissions from researchers, educators, industry practitioners, government agencies, iwi, community organisations and postgraduate students working across vocational education, workforce capability and lifelong learning.

Submissions demonstrating evidence-based practice, emerging research, innovative partnerships and practical initiatives are encouraged, along with proposals that honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and bring Māori perspectives into vocational education.

The 20th New Zealand Vocational Education and Training Research Forum will be held on 12 and 13 October at Te Papa in Wellington.

Further information, abstract submission and registration details are available at events.humanitix.com/nzvetrf2026.