Operating intentions

Outcome: All children develop strong learning foundations

Why is this important?

The early years of a child’s education make a significant difference to the way they develop and go on to learn throughout their lives. Children who develop key competencies early are more likely to become confident and competent learners, to develop constructive behaviours and to enjoy improved social outcomes. It becomes increasingly difficult to resolve educational underachievement at later ages and stages of education.

Research shows that participation in high-quality early childhood education (ECE) produces ongoing benefits for a child’s learning. While we have a strong early childhood sector, children who are from Māori, Pasifika, low socioeconomic or rural communities are less likely to have sustained participation in high-quality ECE.

Children who are literate and numerate have the skills to effectively access the rest of the curriculum. However, we have large and persistent differences in literacy and numeracy achievement between children of different ethnic and socioeconomic groups, which lead to disparities in learning achievement later in their schooling. By focusing on the teaching and learning of literacy and numeracy in the early years, and ensuring approaches are relevant and culturally appropriate to the diverse contexts of the learners, we are ensuring students are both participating and engaged in learning, which leads to achievement later in the school system.

There is increasing evidence that better education and life outcomes can be achieved through early identification and intervention where there are significant barriers to children’s learning. Early identification and support for young children with developmental and behaviour challenges, and for their families and whānau, early childhood services and schools, is critical. Intervening early provides the greatest opportunity for change and is cost effective. The risks of not intervening early and the flow-on effects reduce opportunities for student participation and engagement in learning at all stages of education.

What are we seeking to achieve?

We are seeking strong learning foundations for all children, through high levels of participation and achievement, regardless of ethnic group, learning needs or socioeconomic status. Strong learning foundations mean that children enter the education system early, and develop the key competencies and skills for them to progress through the education system, and that the system responds to the learning needs of all children and students. We want to see children developing competencies early and then continuing to build on them throughout their lives.

We have three interrelated intermediate outcomes: increasing participation in high-quality ECE increasing literacy and numeracy achievement in primary school earlier identification of and intervention for children with specific barriers to learning.

We want to increase the rates of participation in high-quality ECE for Māori children and Pasifika children, for children from low socioeconomic communities, and for those with specific barriers to learning. Increasing uptake of Free ECE for these groups of children will ensure they gain full benefit from participation in ECE at ages three and four.

We are seeking to increase levels of literacy and numeracy achievement for Māori children, Pasifika children and children from low socioeconomic communities, to equivalent levels of achievement of other children. Building high expectations of all learners – in their families, communities, teachers and in the children themselves – will be critical.

We are seeking to lower the average age of first intervention for children with specific barriers to learning. We want to ensure that ECE and primary teachers have increased skills and confidence to identify children with specific barriers to learning, and to support their engagement and achievement in education. We want to ensure that all of our special assistance is of the highest quality.

What will we do to achieve this?

We will work with the factors that are known to influence participation in ECE, using our 10-year strategic plan for ECE, Pathways to the Future: Ngā Huarahi Arataki, as a framework for change. Midway through the plan’s implementation we are making good progress, but we are not having the same success for all children. To deliver the goal of increased participation in high-quality ECE for all children and for all communities, we will shift the balance of focus in our investments from national to local, and from universal to tailored. We will develop locally-based strategies in areas such as South Auckland where participation is disproportionately low, that are tailored for those children, families and whānau not currently participating fully in high-quality ECE. These strategies will look at availability and relevance of services and other factors affecting participation in quality ECE provision.

We will review and better tailor investments aimed at building literacy and numeracy to ensure knowledge about best practice is disseminated as widely as possible, and that investments are reaching those students who need them most. We will make greater use of our regional network to support schools to gather, analyse and use literacy and numeracy achievement data for each student and tailor their teaching practice accordingly. We will ensure insights from good practice are incorporated more systematically in a wider range of professional development as well as reviewing the targeting of investments.

We will focus our resources on interventions that we know work best for children with specific barriers to learning. We will provide tools and support to teachers and services to enable them to identify those needs earlier, and work collaboratively to support children’s learning. We will improve the quality and targeting of our own services. Working with other agencies on initiatives such as the Conduct Disorder/Severe Antisocial Behaviour Plan and B4 School Checks is important to prevent a range of adverse outcomes.

How will we demonstrate success in achieving this?

We are developing a strong evidence base about what has the biggest effect on educational outcomes. Based on the evidence we have about what works, we believe the set of actions we are undertaking will contribute to achieving our outcomes. We will demonstrate success through the following measures:

• In ECE we will focus on participation rates, take-up of Free ECE, affordability, and teacher qualifications and registration as indicators of success. In particular, we will see increases in the prior participation rate for Māori children starting school from 89.9% in 2006, and from 84.3% for Pasifika children. We are currently developing indicators of quality which we will then report on.
• We will see increased levels of literacy and numeracy achievement through national and international studies (for our target groups eg, Māori children achieving in literacy and numeracy at the national norm by the end of their first two years at school). We will reinforce the importance of gathering, analysing and using achievement data in teaching practice, and the Education Review Office will review progress through monitoring against the National Administration Guidelines.
• We will see a lower average age of first intervention for children with specific barriers to learning, and we will monitor the impact this has on subsequent education achievement and intensity of intervention needed. We will seek feedback on quality and responsiveness from users of special education services.

We are building our knowledge about the effectiveness of a number of investments, for example, through evaluating the impacts of the ECE strategic plan and the literacy and numeracy strategies, and we are measuring the impact on student outcomes of tools such as Assessment Tools for Teaching and Learning (asTTle). We will work to strengthen our framework for prioritisation based on the evidence of the effectiveness of specific interventions.

Outcome: All young people participate, engage and achieve in education

Why is this important?

Higher levels of education attainment for young people are associated with a range of benefits throughout life. These benefits include greater success in employment, higher income levels, better living and health standards, greater satisfaction with life, and increased contribution back to their families and communities.

Almost 30% of New Zealand students leave school before their 17th birthday, and around 40% leave with less than a level two NCEA qualification. Measures of participation and engagement (including retention, early leaving exemptions, suspensions, expulsions, exclusions and truancy) show that a higher proportion of Māori students and Pasifika students disengage from secondary education than students of other ethnicities. This pattern of disengagement is also more likely to be the case for boys than girls, and for young people from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

New Zealand has relatively low rates of participation in education and training for young people aged 15-19 in OECD comparisons, and fewer young people achieving qualifications at levels four and above.

All young people can achieve their potential by building on their qualifications and continuing to learn throughout their lives. Education and learning need to continue beyond school for people to capitalise on the benefits school has to offer. This means that there must be broad participation in tertiary and adult education, in industry training and in workplace learning. Tertiary education must be increasingly relevant and responsive to economic, cultural and social needs, with more emphasis on quality and achievement at higher qualification levels.

A significant proportion of young people, particularly Māori students, Pasifika students, and boys, are not receiving the benefits education has to offer.

What are we seeking to achieve?

We are seeking better educational, economic and social outcomes for all young people, by ensuring that the education system is supportive, responsive, and appropriate to their needs and to the needs of communities and employers.

We want to raise the level of participation, engagement and achievement in secondary schooling, particularly for Māori students and Pasifika students, for boys and young men, and for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. As indicated in Schools Plus, we want the education system to be appropriate and responsive to the needs of all young people so that students achieve the highest level of qualification in line with their abilities within school, and then go on to build on these qualifications beyond school. As indicated in Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success, we want a secondary system that is relevant and connected to the student’s life goals and to their cultural contexts.

As part of the Tertiary Education Strategy, we are seeking to increase participation and achievement of qualifications at higher levels in tertiary education. A priority outcome of the Tertiary Education Strategy is lifting the numbers of young people achieving a level four qualification before they reach 25 years of age.

We have three interrelated intermediate outcomes:

• increasing engagement and achievement in secondary education so that young people stay at school longer and leave with higher-level qualifications
• more successful pathways into tertiary education and work
• higher levels of achievement in tertiary education by the age of 25.

What will we do to achieve this?

Four strategies frame our work to achieve this outcome – Schools Plus, Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success, the Pasifika Education Plan and the Tertiary Education Strategy.

We will develop and implement Schools Plus, the Government’s policy to have all young people in education, skills or structured learning, relevant to their abilities and needs, until the age of 18. This will include reviewing key levers – including regulation and funding – to see how they align with the Schools Plus goal. We will work with secondary schools to ensure that professional teaching practice and school environments support student engagement and a commitment to future learning.

We will focus on the early years at secondary schools, years nine and ten, which the evidence shows are a critical point of vulnerability, particularly for Māori students. Ensuring participation, engagement and achievement in these years will lead to greater achievement in senior secondary education, and more successful transitions into further learning and the workforce. We will also work to extend learning opportunities available beyond school.

We will continue the implementation of the actions planned in Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success which will help achieve the Schools Plus goal for Māori learners by ensuring:

• effective teaching for Māori students in years nine and ten
• increased student involvement in and responsibility for decision-making
• effective professional development and accountable leadership
• improved whānau-school partnerships focused on participation, engagement and achievement.

We will continue the implementation of the revised Pasifika Education Plan, as we believe the range of actions we have planned and in place will raise the participation, engagement and achievement of Pasifika students in secondary and tertiary education. This plan provides the framework for creating a 21st-century education system that personalises learning for this group of young people.

We are developing work across the education system to make sure there is a common understanding of key competencies throughout the qualifications system, and that all teaching interactions therefore support children and young people to develop these competencies.

We will work with schools, other education agencies, tertiary providers, employers and communities to provide more diverse and relevant pathways that support effective transitions into further education and work. We will achieve this in part by continuing to embed the principles of personalising learning into the education system, which will lead to improved quality, flexibility and responsiveness of the system to the learning needs of children and students. It will also require collaboration with social and justice sector agencies to improve engagement in educational opportunities.

We will also lead specific actions within the Unified Skills Strategy, which is being led out of the Tertiary Education Commission. The Unified Skills Strategy is an initiative between government and the social partners, established to deliver a unified approach to ensure New Zealand individuals and organisations are able to develop and use the skills needed in the workplaces of the future. A major part of the ministry’s contribution to this strategy is leadership of the work underway to ensure that all young people achieve the competencies and skills they need to succeed in work. We will ensure the alignment of the Unified Skills Strategy and the Schools Plus focus on transitions from senior secondary schools to training in employment and further education.

The development of priority one in the Statement of Tertiary Education Priorities (STEP) 2008-10, “increasing educational success for young New Zealanders – more achieving qualifications at level four and above by age 25”, sets out the key priority contributing to this outcome for the tertiary sector. The ministry provides strategic policy advice which sets the context within which other government agencies and tertiary education organisations must operate. We will advise on the impact of the tertiary reforms on outcomes sought in the Tertiary Education Strategy. We will also monitor – and develop performance measures for – the system changes mandated by the Tertiary Education Strategy and the activities of education Crown entities (the Tertiary Education Commission, New Zealand Qualifications Authority, Career Services and the New Zealand Teachers Council). The ministry will continue its research and data analysis programme, improving information and support for student decision-making about what and how to study, as well as working with Career Services to develop their role.

How will we demonstrate success in achieving this?

We will see increasing numbers of young people participating and succeeding in formal education, skills and other structured learning through to the age of 18, and building on these qualifications beyond school. We will see improvements in all levels of achievement within secondary schooling, and higher levels of achievement in tertiary education.

We will monitor the proportion of students from our target groups entering tertiary education, and their level of educational attainment. For example, we will increase the proportion of Māori participating in modern apprenticeships from 14% in 2006, and the proportion of Māori school leavers entering tertiary education at level four or above within two years of leaving school from 28% in 2004.

We will see increasing levels of achievement in qualifications at level four and above for the under-25 age group. We will see more students completing their qualifications. We will monitor the level of achievement of advanced trade, technical and professional qualifications by students of all ages, and compare this with industry demand.

We have developed a good understanding of what needs to happen in the system to make a difference to student learning outcomes at all levels, and have appropriate measures of the effectiveness of interventions within the school environment. We are working to develop more clearly defined links to show how our work both directly and indirectly has an impact on these changes.

Outcome: Learners have access to high-quality Māori language education that delivers positive language and learning outcomes

Why is this important?

The education sector provides the basis for the transfer of skills that New Zealanders need to participate fully in society and contribute to building future prosperity and wellbeing. Language is a vital part of this. In an education setting, language provides a medium of both teaching and learning, and learners require strong skills in their first language to support their cognitive development and provide a vehicle for engagement socially and in the curriculum.

Second language learning is also important, providing both social and cultural benefits. The importance of first and second language learning is reflected in the prominence of “English” and “Learning Languages” as essential learning areas in The New Zealand Curriculum. The curriculum stresses the importance of literacy in English and the underpinning principle that all students have the opportunity to acquire knowledge of the Māori language.

For all students to achieve their potential, teachers require appropriately high expectations and knowledge of their learners, up-to-date knowledge of their subject, and the strategies to teach and assess for optimum learning. In some cases, access to Māori language education is limited or, where it is available, the quality of either language outcomes or broader education outcomes is compromised.

Māori language education is an umbrella term covering all parts of the education system (from early childhood through to adult education) that teach Māori language skills and deliver education through te reo Māori. In 2006, approximately 65,000 learners participated in some form of Māori language education. The latest Māori language education sector achievement data show promising pockets of success, with some students achieving NCEA qualifications at rates that surpass those of their English language education sector peers.

Teacher supply and capability are ongoing issues for all Māori language education settings, but are particularly acute for Māori medium and kura kaupapa Māori. Increasing the supply, induction, retention and progression of Māori language teachers, and sufficient access to teaching and learning resources are ongoing priorities.

What are we seeking to achieve?

We are seeking to ensure that all Māori language education options are high-quality options, providing a range of linguistic, social, cultural and academic benefits. Initially we will strengthen the network of learning that already exists, and over time we want these options to be available to all students.

We have two interrelated intermediate outcomes:

• increasing numbers of high-quality teachers proficient in te reo Māori
• increasing effectiveness of teaching and learning in and through te reo Māori.

These outcomes will help us to achieve the five goals of Te Rautaki Reo Māori, the Government’s Māori language strategy, and directly support Goal three – strengthening education opportunities in the Māori language.

What will we do to achieve this?

In the short term, we are developing a Māori Language Education Outcomes Framework. Due for release later in 2008, the purpose of this framework is to clarify the outcomes sought through Māori language education, against which investments and policy can be better directed and coordinated.

The framework will provide the ministry with a comprehensive tool for planning, investing, evaluating and reporting on Māori language education outcomes, investments and activities. It will do this by:

• clarifying the outcomes being sought through Māori language education
• producing a detailed long-term investment plan to guide Māori language education policy priorities and resourcing decisions
• specifying ways of measuring success in the achievement of the outcomes.

This will ensure, over time, a more coordinated approach to current and future activity across the sector, and assist in clarifying the roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders in Māori language education, including education agencies, education providers, and Māori whānau, hapū and iwi.

There is currently a range of investments including:

• support and resourcing for providers of Māori language education
• support for teachers through scholarships, allowances, initial teacher education, leadership, curriculum and professional development
• information to families, whānau, communities and iwi to inform participation and choice
• Māori education research.

Over the medium term, the framework will provide a tool for more coherent planning, investing and evaluation of these investments.

How will we demonstrate success in achieving this?

Over the next year the development of the Māori Language Education Outcomes Framework is our key focus. We will begin to see the following changes:

• use of a “managing for outcomes” approach that will improve the ministry’s performance through better defined outcomes, explicit rationale (intervention logic) and improved impact assessment
• better decision-making on the scope, nature and timing of investments
• improved measurement of learner, system and investment performance
• better coordination of programmes and initiatives towards an agreed set of learning outcomes.

Completion and use of the framework to make investment decisions will be a measure of our success.

Over the next three to five years the intervention logic and evaluation strategy developed as part of the framework will help us to assess the contribution our investments make to achieving outcomes. We will develop an evidence base to provide the data and information required to support investment decisions.

As a result of this more coherent approach to our investment, in the longer term and across the wider system we expect to see:

• more kura kaupapa Māori which are viable, sustainable, and able to offer high-quality teaching and learning
• more high-quality teachers of te reo Māori, supported by effective leadership
• teachers benefiting from a coherent professional development and assessment strategy, and using relevant resources to support effective teaching and learning
• iwi partnerships which assist whānau, hapū and iwi to participate in and determine effective education provision for Māori students
• more people in New Zealand society who recognise and value te reo Māori
• a strengthening of Māori education research, leading to mātauranga Māori knowledge creation for innovation in education policy and practice.

Outcome: The education system produces the knowledge and develops people with the skills to drive New Zealand’s future economic and social success

Why is this important?

An increasingly diverse and globally-connected society, and a more globalised economy with increasing focus on the sustainable use of resources, means that the skills and competencies individuals need to succeed are also changing. The education system needs to be flexible to respond to these changes in demand for skills and knowledge, and to the needs of learners throughout their lives. Content, teaching approaches and educational environments must adapt to these demands.

Improving flexibility, responsiveness and choice, and exploring alternative models for teaching and learning, will help build an education system that can adapt to change in the 21st-century.

Learners experiencing success as they progress through each stage of learning is integral to their ongoing achievement. From early childhood through to tertiary education, industry training and workplace learning, the ways in which the education system supports learners are integral to their ongoing participation and engagement.

Education is the primary vehicle for the development of knowledge, skills and competencies. The education system has a particular role to support and drive innovation and economic growth through research, tertiary education, and skilled trade training which meets specific regional needs. As well as being a significant producer of research, the tertiary education sector makes a contribution by training new researchers and upskilling the current research workforce. International education strengthens our capability through international research links and collaborative programmes.

What are we seeking to achieve?

We want to develop an education system with the capacity to adapt and respond to the needs of our increasingly complex and diverse society. This will ensure that the education system is responsive to the needs of individuals and their communities, and cultivates their skills and capacities to learn, generate and transfer knowledge and understanding, now and in the future.

We want to increase and improve the level of interaction and partnership between tertiary education and industry, to increase education’s contribution to economic development. We want tertiary qualifications to be more relevant, and the tertiary education system to more effectively transfer new knowledge to industry and other users. Māori organisations and iwi will develop and manage their assets to gain greater economic benefits where they are supported through the development of knowledge and technologies that make the most of Māori innovation and enterprise.

We have two intermediate outcomes:

• building an education system for the 21st-century
• increasing education’s contribution to economic transformation and innovation through new knowledge, skills and research.

What will we do to achieve this?

We are already involved in a number of programmes to make the education system more responsive to economic and social changes in 21st-century life. These include:

• the implementation of The New Zealand Curriculum, the Tertiary Education Strategy and the International Education Agenda
• refinement of the qualifications framework
• a framework for Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) investment to support improved education outcomes
• supporting the development of sustainable schools which build learning environments that promote 21st-century approaches to learning and teaching.

We will continue to embed the principle of personalising learning into the education system. We will improve how and when we use evidence and reporting information to support the system to be more responsive to all those within the system, and to changes in society and the economy.

Priorities three and four in the Statement of Tertiary Education Priorities 2008-10 have set the expectations for the tertiary system to increase the achievement of advanced trade, technical and professional qualifications to meet regional and national industry needs, and improve research connections and links to create economic opportunities. The Tertiary Education Commission and institutes of technology and polytechnics will lead regional engagement across education and training providers, industry training organisations, community organisations, iwi, Māori, Pasifika communities and wider stakeholders, to build a shared understanding of regional tertiary education needs, gaps and priorities.

The ministry will advise on system-level outcomes in the tertiary sector and their contribution to innovation and economic transformation, and adjust priorities and investment where necessary. We will work with the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology, the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and the Tertiary Education Commission to ensure greater cooperation and coordination between the government agencies responsible for policy advice and funding in teaching and learning, research and development, and business assistance.

We will support education Crown entities through the development of performance measures and by monitoring the effectiveness of policy interventions and system-level changes.

We will work with other agencies and social partners (Business NZ and the Combined Trade Union) to advance the Unified Skills Strategy, which aims to better match the supply of skills through education with workplace and industry needs. In particular, the ministry will take the lead in reviewing the qualifications system to ensure it is relevant and provides pathways for lifelong learning.

We will manage implementation of the International Education Agenda to ensure that New Zealand continues to benefit from international research links, students with greater global understanding, strengthened international relationships, and other contributors to economic growth and national identity.

How will we demonstrate success in achieving this?

We will see increasing responsiveness to the needs of students, and innovation in the development of teaching and learning, in line with the values in The New Zealand Curriculum. We will monitor the impact of these changes on levels of qualifications achieved by young people leaving formal education, and the level of employer satisfaction in the values displayed by new entrants in the labour market.

We will develop and then use measures of how quickly and how well new initiatives and policies are embedded into the education system, particularly those relating to changes in teaching methods, assessment standards, and implementation of new technologies for use in teaching and learning.

Through our monitoring of the Tertiary Education Strategy and Statement of Tertiary Education Priorities, we will demonstrate progress in terms of participation, completion and progression to advanced-level trade, technical and professional qualifications.

We will measure progress towards improved research connections and links to create economic opportunities through increased research contract income for tertiary providers from industry, and tertiary institutions being used as a source of advice by industry, leading to increased cooperation and placement of research students in industry and business.

We will monitor the position of New Zealand tertiary education and research in the international arena, looking at research links and joint programmes, numbers of international students and levels of funding coming to New Zealand tertiary institutions, and New Zealand students’ international awareness and understanding.

Objective: Education agencies work efficiently and effectively to achieve education outcomes

Why is this important?

The ministry’s ability to deliver its core services and major initiatives depends on the capacity and capability of our people and physical resources. It also depends on our ability to work effectively with other agencies across government, and provide leadership to other agencies in the education sector. This requires a planned approach to investment and prioritisation.

The ministry recognises that solutions to complex problems, and the realisation of opportunities to improve outcomes, are much more likely to occur through inter-agency approaches where organisations collectively use a wider range of expertise, operational capabilities and relationships, than those available within a single agency.

The Development Goals for the State Services and the strategies that underpin them recognise this, and as a consequence require agencies to take a planned approach to capacity and capability, and to inter-agency collaboration. These Goals are a major driver for the work of the ministry over the next three to five years in building the capabilities that support organisational success.

What are we seeking to achieve?

We are seeking to build leadership, accountability, relationships, competence and confidence by:

• Attracting, retaining and engaging a skilled workforce within the ministry in an environment that is increasingly competitive, and where workforce shortages in particular categories are likely to be a continuing feature. We need to build our capacity to work effectively for and with Māori. We need to build our capacity to work with Pasifika peoples, particularly in leadership roles.
• Meeting increasing public and sector expectations of ease of access to information. This means that we have to enable agencies and the education sector to transmit and receive information effectively and efficiently, through technologies that are secure and compatible across organisations.
• Embedding programme management methods across the ministry to enable delivery of large-scale policy or systems work programmes, and including those that involve other agencies.
• Ensuring that the ministry’s operations are supported nationally by fit-for-purpose business processes and information systems that enable staff to meet rising public and sector expectations of quality and timeliness.
• Meeting expectations on public sector agencies to implement enhanced Capital Asset Management (CAM), and developing clearer outcomes-focused accountability reporting.

What will we do to achieve this?

We will continue a staged programme of work that delivers on the milestones and indicators outlined under the Development Goals for the State Services. The work encompasses:

• workforce development and building the leadership and management capabilities that enable an engaged workforce
• coordination with other government agencies on major policy initiatives such as Schools Plus
• working with other education agencies to develop information systems and technology solutions, and improved sustainability and other related initiatives
• developing and implementing strategies, policies and programmes that build awareness and knowledge of the evidence base supporting Ka Hikitia – Managing for Success
• building the capability and engagement of staff, which support us to meet our Treaty obligations
• building the capability and engagement of staff to deliver the goals of the Pasifika Education Plan
• working in a much more coherent and connected fashion with whānau and communities
• improving the visibility and accessibility of our services to the public and to the education sector.

We will also begin to roll out improved knowledge management capability through an electronic document management system.
In 2008/09 we intend to:

• implement a leadership and management development programme in the ministry that will link to wider public sector resources
• undertake the second iteration of the Staff Engagement Survey – an evidence-based process that enables each manager to initiate changes that lead directly to higher productivity, stakeholder confidence and staff retention. At an organisational level our response to the initial survey in 2007/08 has focused on better internal communications and better prioritisation so staff know what is expected of them. Individual managers have also developed their own action plans
• use the employer branding research for the public sector to improve understanding externally of the career opportunities available in the ministry
• embed the State Sector Code of Conduct to ensure that all our integrity processes support the State Sector Goal of Trusted State Servants
• continue our participation in the Government Shared Network (GSN) and other whole-of-government information and communication technology (ICT) and related initiatives
• progress, with other education sector agencies, major ICT initiatives in relation to authentication and integration of systems to support information flows in the early childhood, schooling and tertiary education sectors
• continue to strengthen our governance arrangements to ensure that we can achieve the best value for money from our funding, and as part of this implement the new Capital Asset Management standards
• complete a major redesign of our external websites to enable more accessible information for the public and communities of interest.

How will we demonstrate success in achieving this?

We will see a rise in ratings in our Staff Engagement Survey and improved retention across all workforce categories. We will have a workforce plan for key categories of staff where there are supply pressures, particularly our special education, policy and information technology workforces. Perceptions of the ministry among potential employees will be more positive.

We will have met expectations in relation to the implementation of whole-of-government initiatives, the new Capital Asset Management requirements and our ICT programme. Education agencies and the education sector will experience substantive improvements in the accessibility of information systems.

The public and the education sector will experience major improvements in the accessibility of information through our websites.