The Government's Tertiary Education Strategy is a 5-year approach which aims to lift the number of Māori and Pasifika learners, reducing the barriers to help those struggling to earn qualifications.
Too many Māori and Pasifika students are leaving school for unskilled jobs and missing out on apprenticeships which allow them to earn while they learn.
It's a costly exercise to take on rookies but through training organisations like Competenz, job placements are made into organisations to fill the skills a business needs.
With the labour market here facing a chronic skills shortage in some key industries.
Ruwani Perera takes a look at apprenticeships and the young people who are working towards building a future free of debt.
She also joins Mihingarangi Forbes in studio to discuss this story further and talk about some of the stories which stood out for her in 2014.