You may have heard that significant changes are underway in the vocational education space. After decades of guiding and inspiring countless learners through its scaffolding programme, Tai Poutini Polytechnic (TPP) has made the decision to discontinue scaffolding training and refocus on its core business within the West Coast region.

SARNZ is fully supportive of this move for the benefit of industry. Throughout the consultations of late 2024 and further industry engagement into early 2025, feedback strongly indicated a preference for a single nationwide provider to ensure greater consistency in training delivery and block course availability.

As part of this transition, all scaffolding apprenticeships and programmes currently managed by EarnLearn/TPP will now be supported by Vertical Horizonz New Zealand (VHNZ) and integrated into their national training network.

For employers and learners right now, no action is required. All existing scaffolding learners will be transferred from EarnLearn/TPP to VHNZ. In January, VHNZ Training Advisors will contact apprentices and employers to introduce themselves and discuss progress. VHNZ will also issue new training agreements for signing in the new year.

For further details, please refer to the joint EarnLearn and VHNZ transition FAQs and upcoming announcements.

SARNZ has worked closely with VHNZ and EarnLearn throughout this process to minimise disruption for the industry and learners. While some teething issues may occur, we appreciate your understanding as we build towards a smoother, stronger learning journey for our people.

Finally, we extend our deepest gratitude to the staff and tutors of EarnLearn/TPP for their decades of service to the scaffolding industry and their professionalism during this transition. Their efforts have helped elevate scaffolding to a recognised trade, improved safety across countless worksites, and positively impacted the lives of so many in our sector.

Kat Ricketts, General Manager
On behalf of SARNZ