Training key to getting through tough times

We were heartened by Prime Minister John Key's support for industry training at the recent job summit.  In his closing remarks he expressed his desire to keep up or increase levels of training.  The Industry Training Federation is working with government officials and other interested parties to progress work around initiatives in this area.

Prime Minister Key is not alone in recognising that now is the time to focus more on industry training rather than let it slide.  Just a few days after the Job Summit, the  OECD released its Going for Growth Annual report in which it  identified 'boosting spending on training programmes to give workers skills that will be needed as the labour market recovers' as one of a number of policy areas which could both boost demand in the short term to soften the impact of the recession, and also raise economic growth over the long term.

And the United Kingdon the Commission for Employment and Skills has launched a campaign to encourage employers to invest in training to help survive the recession stating that ' ... the skills of an organisation's workforce are its best guarantee of future prosperity and the best investment a business can make in these challenging times.'

Jeremy Baker

 Executive Director - Industry Training Federation

ITOs responding to the recession

Yes.  We are in a recession.

That’s affecting the work of Industry Training Organisations in a range of ways depending on which industries they cover. Whether they are small or large, covering an area that is losing workers or one that is bucking the trend and growing, the fact that ITOs have been developed through demand from the industries they serve, puts them in a good position to support industries with skill development appropriate for the current climate.

ITOs approach this with two key goals – to support the workplaces through the recession and to ensure that when we reach the other side, we have maintained a skilled and productive workforce.

Read more about some of the responses from ITOs. For example, the BCITO has helped place nearly one thousand workers who have been laid off back into employment and training agreements.

New ITO officially launched

The newest ITO – the Communications and Media Industry Training Organisation (CMITO) will be officially launched at Parliament this evening. It results from the merger of PrintNZ Training and the New Zealand Journalists Training Organisation (NZJTO) last year and encompasses the communications and media industries, including extending the coverage to include journalism, graphic design, marketing, printing production, digital communications and fibreboard packaging.

CMITO chief executive Joan Grace said that the scope of the new ITO eventually would be widened to include multi-media, broadcasting, film and outdoor advertising.

"The Communications and Media ITO has been established in such a way that each industry sector retains its unique identity while operating under one united banner," she said. 

Maori Information Management System

Helping Maori workforce development in the health and disability sector is the driving force behind a new information management system developed by Careerforce.

The ITO has been collecting trainees’ iwi affiliation data since 2004 and the resulting system is helping measure its responsiveness to Maori workforce initiatives and to lift the engagement and consultation with Iwi and Maori communities to determine longer-term planning. Read More