Fair Go. Bex Howells has taken up this cause and it deserves widespread and practical support. There are many obstacles to equity in our education and training systems. This is one which strikes after many other hurdles have been overcome and a student/trainee is nearing the end goal of qualification. Far too often, and very unfairly, those who have few resources and/or have exhausted those resources already, just find the practice stages just too costly to do. If we are to increase skills in these affected areas of work the public sector, and the private sector where it applies, have to face this as a legitimate cost of training.
Terry Taylor
7mo
Again as Rob says this is vital but generally forgotten issue that sees students either drop out or face huge debt when starting out. I know exactly the personal toll on our Medical laboratory science profession of continuing to put large debt on top of already low salaries. Hence our current issues. Bex is doing an extremely tough job here in voicing out. I would urge politicians to listen to these concerns and take this seriously. Many of us are right behind a fairer situation than is currently dished up. We are losing potential galore in front of all of everyone's eyes. How much was a university education in the 70s and 80s again??
Vanessa Neven
7mo
Thanks Rob for sharing this it is great to see the work Bex Howells is doing to bring this to light. Reading her article brought me back many years to when I myself had to do put in thousands of unpaid hours for my nursing while having a young family. I was lucky that I had a husband who picked up extra work to make ends meet and family and friends to lean on for childcare. There is no reason these "caring" professions cannot be managed more like an apprenticeship, where during Hands on training there is financial support and backing. We are already at a tipping point where we are lacking work force capacity in these areas so something needs to change.
This concept is an idea spreading across other countries, such as the UK and Australia. Not before time, we cannot continue to bury our head in the sand, we need to find practical, solutions to address the workforce shortages in these jey professions.
Darren McAven
7mo
Seems like another area where a UBI could make a big difference.
Carlton Irving
7mo
Bex Howells is just an exceptional human, painting an important stumbling block to growing professions especially from the vulnerable communities who are desperately underrepresented in health care. I acknowledge her dogged determination in this space, and share the vision of sustainable development of health professionals in this way. Mauri Ora matua Rob.
Lana Chisholm
7mo
sure seems like there are far more levers for large orgs (private and public sector) to pull than students facing financial instability, hectic placement arrangements, while knowing their career choice will leave them in debt for years. These workforce issues didn’t come out of nowhere. Thanks for sharing, and good on Bex for campaigning for change.
Sarah Hogan
7mo
In the practice stages they provide immediate value. Paying for that is a no-brainer.
Brett Walker
7mo
I agree. There is definitely a big cost in doing this BUT a huge ongoing cost of not doing it. Even treating it as a semipaid internship is better yhan the current situation. Many students have to work to pay their bills... this can be a part of that.
Addressing speech, language and communication needs in justice, care and protection, behaviour and mental health in NZ
7moI support this campaign. These are live issues in my profession of speech-language therapy. There is shortage of SLTs, yet the demands of placements and training are so costly and out of reach for many who would have so much to contribute. The qualifying rates of pay and rates for experienced SLTs are generally woeful considering the immense skill and impact SLTs have across so many aspects of life, from the cradle to the grave. Communication is linked to pretty much everything.