A proposal put forward by Labour aimed at giving school leavers the practical skills and knowledge they need for adult life could also help the transport industry.

Labour leader Jacinda Ardern says while New Zealand‘s teachers and schools do a great job of teaching children core knowledge and learning skills, the Future of Work Commission identified that young people also needed practical skills both in the workplace and in their day-to-day lives. Labour’s proposed School Leavers‘ Toolkit will include helping students learn to drive.

New Zealand Trucking Association chief executive officer Dave Boyce said he thought it was a good idea.

“That‘s always one of the issues for our industry, certainly with attracting school leavers, the importance of having a licence. A lot of them just don‘t realise how important it is, not just for our industry but for lots of industries. It might be working nights in a warehouse or something like that that could lead to some other qualifications, but if they haven‘t got a licence, they can‘t get there.”

Boyce said having a clean licence was important too.

“Understanding that being an idiot and doing burnouts and things like that is not going to look good on your record if you‘re trying to get a job. So I certainly think it‘s a good idea.”