Dr Wayne Mapp, associate minister for tertiary education, will officially launch the country's newest industry training organisation at a ceremony at parliament on March 31.
Resulting from last September’s merger of PrintNZ Training and the New Zealand journalists training organisation, the communications and media industry training organisation (CMITO) takes responsibility for setting unit standards and administering workplace qualifications for the communications and media industries, including journalism, graphic design, marketing, printing production, digital communications and fibreboard packaging.
Dr Mapp said industry training plays an important role in the tertiary education sector and the new ITO will add to the high standard of workplace training excellence already in evidence. He said “Education needs to be able to adapt as new technology revolutionises the shape of our economy. The building blocks set by the communications and media ITO will provide an important influence on the future of this sector..”
Joan Grace, chief executive of the new CMITO, says the new ITO provides a working model for future development for the industry. In time, the scope of CMITO will be widened to include multi-media, graphic design, broadcasting, film and outdoor advertising. She says, “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. In this way, CMITO can represent our industry to the wider business community, while allowing individual sector committees to carry on doing what they do best, which is meeting the needs of their member companies.
“Each of the industries included in CMITO require highly skilled and well trained professionals. Our task is to ensure our programmes draw out the very best in our trainees and provide them with the skills needed to thrive in their chosen careers.”
The national diploma in applied journalism will also be launched on March 31. PrintNZ says the new qualification will register at Level six on the national qualifications framework, and will provide a practical application of the skills taught in the country’s journalism schools. Graduate journalists can complete unit standards in news and feature writing, court reporting, media law, ethics and news gathering as they go about their daily tasks on the job. Unit standards are also being developed in news and feature subbing.
Measures to enhance literacy throughout the printing and communications sector will also be introduced, according to PrintNZ. These include programmes, designed to enhance the ITO’s capability, to revise and upgrade training material, provide training to ITO staff and workplace trainers on literacy, and continue with existing one-on-one support for apprentices and trainees with specific literacy issues. PrintNZ says support from the tertiary education commission has made these programmes possible.
Further details will also be announced at the launch on PrintNZ Training’s inaugural productivity fund. The fund, which provides for consultants to work with selected companies to improve productivity and performance, is an industry-funded initiative to help counter the effects of the recession.
The launch of the CMITO takes place from 6.00-7.30pm. Those interested in attending this rsvp only event can register their interest in attending by contacting Sharon Craig on 0800 654 455 or email sharon.craig @printnz.co.nz
