MEDIA RELEASE
4th July
Government investment in Adult and Community Education
– What is it REALLY worth?
A report released at the New Zealand ACE AOTEAROA Conference in
Auckland today revealed that the New Zealand government reaps $167 -
$219 for every dollar invested in non-government Adult and Community
Education programs.
This translates into a $4.8billion return on an $88m investment.
In New Zealand 12% of the working age population attends ACE
programs, compared to the Australian rate of 3.3%.
The CEO of Adult Learning Australia, Peter Peterson, who is
attending this conference, said this data constituted a convincing case for
increased Australian government support of ACE and the strong
contribution it can make to the Rudd government’s productivity agenda.
He said the New Zealand figures point to the need to increase ACE
participation rates in Australia in order to secure similar outcomes.
Mr Peterson also noted that tomorrow at the conference, the NZ
government will formally hand over the management of the adult
education sector to the NZ peak body, ACE AOTEAROA. This
represented a significant shift in the management of adult education from
government to peak body and would be seen by many as a step in the
right direction.
For further comment or information, please contact Peter Peterson on
0437 672 069.
NEWS 
