Furniture and Forestry ITOs Join Forces

Furniture and Forestry ITOs Join Forces

February 5, 2007

The Furniture Industry Training Organisation (FITO) is officially announcing its merger with the Forestry Industry Training Organisation (FITEC) today. Furniture industry training is now an independent sub sector under FITEC, and is known as FITEC Furniture. It will operate out of FITEC’s offices in Auckland.

“The move means that we can focus on serving industry training needs and be better connected into the wood processing sector,” says Paul Mather, a FITEC Furniture sector committee member.

“There are significant and growing similarities between furniture and the rest of the wood sector, he says.

“This is also in line with the Government’s wood strategy and their desire for more collaboration between ITOs and tertiary education providers.

“It was logical we combine, given the enlarged leadership role for ITOs in skill development, industry training plans and strategies,” he says.

The ITO covers wooden, metal, domestic and commercial furniture as well as soft (upholstered) furniture and bedding.

The industry has around 1800 enterprises and 10,000 employees (four per cent of total manufacturing). The average business has six employees.

The merger was signed off by the Minister for Tertiary Education, Michael Cullen, and became effective this year.

ENDS

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