Major ITO Merger Benefits Trainees

Media Release
19 July 2012

Major ITO Merger Benefits Trainees

A formal merger agreement has today been finalised by the Seafood ITO and the NZITO (meat and dairy sectors) to form a single ITO under the NZITO name and branding. The two organisations will be operating as one from the end of July. ITOs are Industry Training Organisations which oversee vocational training.

The new entity will service a combined workforce of over 60,000 employees covering New Zealand's three key export industries - meat, dairy and seafood.

"This will provide some real benefits for this workforce that is at the heart of our export food industries", says Graeme Sutton, chair of NZITO and chair of the merging entity .

"Training offered through this enlarged ITO will carry more status in the primary sector and the community as a whole. Through its increased "buying power" the ITO will be able to demand high standards of delivery from its training providers. There will also be greater emphasis on training skills that are transferable across the food export sector creating more opportunities for personal advancement.

"Progressively, we are going to see a workforce even more motivated about learning and self-improvement which we need to boost productivity", says Mr Sutton.

"It is our hope this will help attract enterprising and capable people to these industries. With the pace of technological advancement these industries have a huge need for growing capability and joined-up training could make a real difference," he says.

The benefits are not just for the trainees, however. Government has shown the benefits of a joined-up approach with the formation of the Ministry for Primary Industries.

"There is a real recognition in Government of the need to get behind agriculture. It has been Government's preference to see significant amalgamation of ITOs in this sector. We believe this is the right way to go and we have been working hard to make it happen", he says.

The merger will also have industry benefits. There will be better coordination of the training effort and greater financial rationalization with better use of governance and research resources and capabilities. The move creates the potential for a strategically focused primary sector-wide ITO.

The Chief executives of both the meat and seafood industry organisations are strong supporters of the move. SeaFIC's Peter Bodeker says that work force capability is a critical success factor in the seafood industry which will help make New Zealand more competitive.

Tim Ritchie chief executive of the Meat Industry Association says ITOs provide training that many people would not otherwise get as it is delivered in the workplace and allows for the seasonal pressures of the agricultural industry. He says the quality of training means the benefits stretch beyond the meat industry.

As a result of the merger the NZITO board will be restructured with two representatives from each of the meat, dairy and seafood industries. Chairmanship of the new board will be taken by Graeme Sutton from NZITO. Mike McCredie the current SITO chair will become a board member.

Many of the Seafood ITO back-office functions will move to the NZITO offices in Hamilton with a small core group operating out of the SeaFIC offices in Wellington. A small field team with a seafood industry focus will be retained.

ENDS

© Scoop Media