CATE - Careers and Transition Education Association (Aotearoa) NZ Ltd

Funding

The main source of detailed information about operational funding is in the "Funding, Staffing and Allowances Handbook". This is held in all schools and is available on the Ministry of Education's website here

Changes to Operational Funding for 2010
Summary
From January 2010 most components of operational funding will be increased by 1.95% for the following components that do not go to all schools:

    * Targeted Funding for Isolation (TFI)
    * Secondary Tertiary Alignment Resource (STAR)
    * Administration and travel grants for resource teachers
    * Administration grant for out of hours music and art classes
    * NCEA Grant
    * Some miscellaneous funding for residential schools.

Figures for the CIG Grant are in the table below.  For full information download 2010 Operational Funding for State and State-integrated Schools
 
Operational funding - general.

Both the Careers Information Grant and the per-pupil component form part of the total operational funding available to each Board of Trustees. Each Board decides how it will budget all its resources in order to meet its obligations, including the National Administration Guidelines, and as it thinks appropriate to meet the particular needs of its school and community. No component of operational funding is tagged for any particular purpose*. The Board, and only the Board, decides what the budget will be. The Education Review Office audits regulations such as the requirement for Careers education and guidance in order to assist Boards in meeting their responsibilities to implement Government policy. Its focus is on the quality of provision for students rather than the exact amount of money spent.

(Ministry of Education Circular 22 November 2002)

* Transition funding still comes into your school as part of the per pupil funding in the Operational Grant. HOWEVER, IT IS NO LONGER IDENTIFIED AS "TRANSITION". IT IS UP TO EACH INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL TO DECIDE HOW IT SPENDS ITS OPERATIONAL FUNDING AND THERE IS NO OBLIGATION FOR ANY OF IT TO BE SPENT ON TRANSITION EDUCATION.

Careers Funding

State secondary and area schools, and private schools, now receive the Careers Information Grant as detailed below. This money is to be used to enable you to meet your responsibilities for providing career guidance for Year 7-13 students. The specific guidelines for use of this money were set out by the Minister of Education, Wyatt Creech, in 1996

Careers Information Grant (C.I.G.)

The following information is available in the Funding, Staffing and Allowances Handbook in the Resourcing section of School Management & Administration on the Ministry's website. Thanks to Keith Thomson (Christchurch Boys High School) for the 2010 update.

Decile

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

1

$29.98

$30.88

$32.12

$33.12

$33.77

2

$28.81

$29.67

$30.86

$31.82

$32.44

3

$26.45

$27.24

$28.83

$29.21

$29.78

4

$24.09

$24.81

$25.80

$26.60

$27.12

5

$21.76

$22.41

$23.31

$24.03

$24.50

6

$17.63

$18.16

$18.89

$19.48

$19.86

7

$14.67

$15.11

$15.71

$16.20

$16.52

8

$13.51

$13.92

$14.48

$14.93

$15.22

9

$12.93

$13.32

$13.85

$14.28

$14.56

10

$12.34

$12.71

$13.32

$13.63

$13.90


A key goal of the Government is to see that young people become successful participants in the New Zealand economy and society once they complete their education and training. To achieve this, students need to make appropriate decisions about their education, training and career paths.

The reports of the Employment Task Force and of the Career Information and Guidence Review Panel (June 1995) noted that schools have a crucial role in assisting young people to make appropriate education, training and career choices. In recognition of this, it was decided to specify an additional National Administration Guideline to be included within the National Education Guidelines, designed to clarify the responsibility of schools to provide appropriate career information and guidance for their students, particularly students at risk of becoming unemployed:

NAG 1 (vi) "Provide appropriate career information and guidance for all students in year 7 and above with a particular emphasis on specific career guidance for those students who have been identified by the school as being at risk of leaving school unprepared for the transition to the workplace or further education / training."

It is part of ERO's job to evaluate the implementation of this NAG.

Uses for your careers funding

The original intention of the CIG was to provide staffing, resources and professional development. Some possible uses of the grant include:

     * Providing school-wide access to Internet based sites such as Careers New Zealand
     * Individual career interviews for students using professional career practitioners.
     * Using the consortium model to assist one another in interviewing students
     * Career mentoring programmes.
     * "Buying" release time for you to work with other staff members to develop a   
        school-wide carers programme
     * Subsidising travel to career expos, etc.
     * Buying resources - class materials / units / outlines.
     * Paying ancillary staff/Careers assistant
     * Assisting with professional development (note this would be over and above your   
        normal staff entitlement)

STAR Funding

Schools receive STAR funding for the purpose of offering courses to their senior students. The goal of the policy is to better meet the needs of senior students. STAR funding leads to students undertaking courses of study and/or workplace experience that lead to skills and qualffications which promote their transition from secondary school to either employment or further education.

STAR funding is allocated on the basis of a roll-based formula. To be eligible for funding, proposed courses must be in a non conventional subject area, as defined by the Ministry of Education, and be run by a provider accredited by New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).

STAR funding is itemised in the school's operational grant. The STAR co-ordinator administers the funding in a separate account. The co-ordinator completes the funding report form. The principal verifies the funding report form.

STAR funding goes into the school's operational grant, where it is tagged for the purposes of STAR. The school may provide the "hands on" financial management, but it is the co-ordinator who is responsible for managing the STAR funding, which must be held in a separate account.

STAR funding is not intended to cover the full costs of all STAR courses. Rather, STAR funding is provided as a "top up" to a school's entitlement staffing and per pupil funding. The operational funding and staffing entitlement that students on STAR courses generate as regular students should also contribute towards resourcing STAR courses.

Schools are encouraged to sign a memorandum of understanding and a contract with providers prior to the commencement of course delivery.

For further information check out the STAR Handbook.