QENOS NOW OFFERS A DIRECT CHANNEL TO NEW ZEALAND MANUFACTURERS
FT608
NEWS
Australia’s sole manufacturer of
polyethylene – is extending its
specialty polymer distribution
group, eXsource into New Zealand.
The arrival of eXsource opens a
direct channel to New Zealand
manufacturers, with a new and
expanded product range of
local and international specialty
polymers.
“The launch of eXsource in New
Zealand is an exciting chapter
for us. It means that we can now
offer New Zealand businesses
big and small an accountable
and reliable supply of the best
local and international polymers
with short lead times. Our New
Zealand team will be on the ground
to offer Australian produced
product, as well as specialty
polymers from a range of worldclass
manufacturers.,” says Ged
Beckton, eXsource business
manager.
A pioneer in the Australian polymer
market, Qenos has been supplying
polyethylene to the manufacturing
and processing industries for over
60 years. The launch of the New
Zealand arm of eXsource means
the group now provides the very
best product, service and supply to
the New Zealand market.
The new eXsource channel will:
• Provide a wide range of polymers
from manufacturers such as Qenos,
Bluestar, LyondellBasell and others
• Offer a broad product range of
polymers and additives that are
used in flexible packaging films,
injection moulding, blow-moulding,
hot-melt adhesive applications,
polymer and wax modification, pipe
and cable, bitumen modification
and other polymer conversion
processes
• Delivery ex-stock with
comprehensive customer service
and a hassle-free supply and
logistics program.
Hundreds of New Zealand
businesses agree – the
Government’s plan to reform
vocational education is shortsighted
and likely to exacerbate the
skills shortage.
It’s a message that Industry
Training Organisation (ITO)
Competenz has heard loud and
clear from employers in the 36
industries it works with to provide
apprenticeships and training.
The reform involves merging all 16
polytechs into the New Zealand
Institute of Skills and Technology,
an organisation that will be
responsible for delivering all on-job
and off-job training. Industryowned
ITOs like Competenz would
no longer exist, so would no longer
arrange training or support and
assess apprentices and trainees in
the workplace.
The proposal was announced in
February and ITOs, polytechs,
businesses and other stakeholders
have until just 5 April to have their
say.
Competenz works with 3,500
New Zealand businesses and has
received direct feedback from more
than 1,000 employers and industry
leaders through an online survey,
workshops and individual meetings.
More than half of the 780 people
who responded to the survey said
they were unlikely to enrol staff
into industry training under the
new system. Sixty percent said
the changes would make the skills
shortage worse.
The feedback was overwhelmingly
opposed to most of the proposal,
says Competenz CEO Fiona
Kingsford.
“The majority of employers we’ve
spoken to feel that the current
model for apprenticeships and
industry training is working well, so
why do we need to fix something
that isn’t broken?
“Any kind of reform needs to
result in delivering more qualified
people to reduce the skills
shortage – but there is no evidence
the government’s plan would
achieve this. These employers and
businesses are the backbone of
New Zealand’s economy, yet they
haven’t been consulted to ensure
the proposed new system works
for them.”
Seventy-nine percent of businesses
did not support disbanding ITOs
nor did they support workplace
training being managed by a
centralised polytechnic. Seventytwo
percent said the changes
would bring uncertainty around
how training would work and 68
percent disagreed that a new
centralised polytechnic would be
good for industry.
Competenz’s has proposed
an alternative approach that
addresses challenges in the current
system without such a significant
structural overhaul and delivers
what employers are asking for.
“Under our alternative, ITOs
and polytechs would retain their
current functions, and ITOs
would be recognised for skills
leadership and greater oversight
of consistency across the system.
Changing to one funding system
for training and support will reduce
competition between ITOs and
polytechnic, though it is common
sense to separate funding for
ITOs to set standards and develop
programmes. Strategic funding
should be allocated for specific
regional, sector or learner training
needs. And we’ll be advocating for
ITOs to have even stronger links
to schools to help ensure there’s a
pipeline of talent coming through to
the industries that need it most.”
COMPETENZ: “DEVASTATING FOR NEW ZEALAND INDUSTRY”
Fiona Kingsford
20 APRIL 2019