Educational qualifications
Key Points | Report Card | Technical Information | Data
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What is happening in our region
In 2006, the educational qualifications of people in our region were slightly lower than the New Zealand average. This could affect the adoption of new technologies and establishment of new industries in the Waikato region, as new businesses may choose to locate in regions with higher education levels.
The graphs show the educational qualifications of people in the Waikato region and New Zealand overall:
- Twenty six percent of Waikato people stated that they had no educational qualifications, compared with 24 percent of New Zealanders.
- Nineteen percent of people in the Waikato region had a tertiary qualification such as a university degree, trade certificate or completed apprenticeship. In comparison, 24 percent of New Zealanders had a tertiary qualification.
- The Census data were collected on on March 7, 2006.
- View this graph’s data.
- Find out about educational qualifications in your local area.
- Find out more about educational qualifications on the Department of Statistics website – education.
Why educational qualifications are important
In 2006 Environment Waikato surveyed randomly chosen adults living in the Waikato region (the Environmental Awareness, Attitudes and Actions Survey). This survey showed that people with higher qualifications tend to be more aware of environmental issues.
‘Knowledge economy industries’ (for example, tertiary learning institutions and software developers) have been promoted as being better for the environment than traditional, extractive industries (for example, mining and forestry).
Having a lower proportion of qualified people in our region, could make the Waikato region appear less attractive to ‘knowledge industries’ than regions with more qualified people. Lower rates of educational achievement could also make accessing new, environmentally friendly technologies more difficult.
What Environment Waikato is doing
- Environment Waikato has environmental information available for schools and community members.
- We work with industries, such as the dairy industry, to educate their members on new processes and environmental standards.
- We provide graduate scholarships at local tertiary institutions to support local researchers.
What you can do to help
- Take courses that will gain you qualifications, they will improve your curriculum vitae and extend your knowledge.
- Encourage others to continue in their education.
More information
More detail on this indicator, including how and where Environment Waikato collects this information, is available in the Technical Information page.
Useful links
- Department of Statistics – education
- New Zealand Qualifications Authority - (NZQA)
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