Industry Training Organisations to Merge

Media Release
18 December 2012

Industry Training Organisations to Merge

Two of New Zealand’s industry training organisations (ITOs) have announced that they will merge on 31 December 2012.

The Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment, Hon Steven Joyce, has endorsed MITO’s extension of gazetted coverage to include the coverage held by EXITO and this becomes effective immediately.

MITO’s current portfolio of industries includes motor, industrial textile fabrication, road transport, warehousing and logistics, passenger services, stevedoring and ports. This portfolio will be expanded to include drilling, petrochemicals, gas, quarrying and mining, protective coatings, resource recovery and energy and chemical plant.

“This merger is an exciting development for both organisations,” says MITO Chairman David O’Kane. “It will enable us to work even more effectively across a broader spectrum of industries, while maintaining our reputation as a high performing ITO.”

The merger reflects a government-mandated drive to reduce the number of ITOs, and builds on the successful merger of MITO and the Tranzqual ITO in October 2011.

“It reflects our mutual commitment to providing relevant, up-to-date training and support,” says Mr O’Kane. “We enable employees to gain the skills and knowledge they need for today’s world, and provide employers with well trained staff who are supported by national qualifications.”

EXITO Chairman Brian Bouzaid and Bruce Taylor will be the two EXITO representatives joining the MITO Board. Mr Bouzaid says he’s looking forward to giving effect to the strategic alignment across the transport, logistics and infrastructure sectors.

“MITO has an excellent reputation for its service delivery model, which includes working closely with learners to ensure a quality learning experience and timely course completion rates,” he says. “Given that we operate in high-risk industries, the merger also provides us with important reassurance that our workers will have the skills they need to do their jobs safely.”

Mr Bouzaid says that the industries currently served by EXITO are enthusiastic about the merger. “It gives us a lot of confidence and optimism about the future of our workforce.”

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