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New Zealand’s future has been linked to the growth of a “knowledge economy”, specifically the growth, development and integration of scientific and technological advancement in our economy, through new and existing enterprises. Consequently, NZ must address how current and future generations of science, engineering and technology practitioners (at all levels) will have opportunities to develop the requisite skills and knowledge they need to contribute fully to “knowledge” enterprises. Reflecting on the current NZ industry‐based engineering training, an analysis of the factors contributing to the levels of training is presented. In response and with a view to improve the culture of training and learning in NZ enterprises, a shift from the standardised training approaches often associated with unit standards, to adopting a “problem based learning” model for workplace training is proposed. The implications for educating workplace trainers to deliver workplace training based on this model are also discussed.