CMITO appoints new chairperson

CMITO appoints new chairperson

Dan Blackbourn from APN News & Media was appointed the new Communications and Media Industry Training Organisation Board chairperson at the ITO AGM on 25 June.

CMITO acknowledges the significant contribution of out-going chairperson Nigel Harrison, who held this role for three years.

Dan has served on the board of PrintNZ Training since 2005, as a representative for the Newspaper Publishers Association. As general manager of operations (NZ) for APN News & Media, he is a strong advocate of formal training

Dan is looking forward to working with the board and ITO staff to tackle the challenges ahead.

“I want to ensure that the top-class training that the CMITO provides continues and that we provide a platform for anyone covered by the CMITO to succeed.

“Training is important for a number of reasons: continuity of business, ensuring that employees can contribute through productivity and ability and increased employee well-being. Knowing their business cares enough about them to train them leads to higher staff engagement and contribution to society and the country,” Dan says.

Dan started his apprenticeship in hand typography at The Evening Post in 1979. With production changing from hot metal to cold type, he went on to train as a compositor. Dan held various roles within Fairfax before taking on his current position at APN News & Media.

Dan says having been an advocate for training at APN has resulted in apprentices from APN Print receiving the PrintNZ Training Apprentice of the Year Award twice while also featuring in the finals (two apprentices in 2013) once over the last six years.

“This is testimony that if training is committed to by the employee and the employer, then recognition of the skills learnt will come,” he says.

CMITO provides on-job training programmes that lead to formal qualifications for people working in the print, packaging, journalism and signmaking industries. PrintNZ Training, the NZJTO and Signmaking are sectors of CMITO. Contact CMITO on 0800 654 455 or visit www.cmito.co.nz

ENDS

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