Toi Mai Workforce Development Council (WDC) is delighted the Government has listened to industry feedback and recognised the important creative and information technology industries in its new vocational education and training (VET) system. 

The Government announced today that eight Industry Skills Boards (ISBs) will replace WDCs next year and the industries they will cover. The ISBs will focus on ensuring vocational education and training reflects industry needs and priorities. 

“Following strong advocacy from industry, the creative and IT sectors we cover including screen, game development, AI and cybersecurity have now been allocated to several ISBs, instead of being shifted to the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) as was originally proposed by Government,” says Toi Mai Te Tumu o Toi | Chief Executive Dr Claire Robinson.  

Dr Robinson said it was sad that the creative and digital technology industries would be split and housed in different ISBs – Creative to the Services ISB and Digital Technology to a new Electrotechnology and Information Technology ISB. However, “the overall result is positive, because it will enable all the industries we cover to retain leadership oversight of skills training under the new VET system. This is vital, given creative and IT are amongst the country’s most highly productive industries, leading the charge on economic growth.” 

Dr Robinson says the Government originally excluded creative and IT from its original ISB proposal on the grounds they don’t offer traditional apprenticeships. 

“Our advocacy highlighted that formal apprenticeships can’t exist in these new-economy industries – not because they aren’t interested in workers earning while they learn, but because there are structural differences such as gig-based work and independent earners lacking resources that make it hard to offer traditional apprenticeships. 

“This doesn’t mean different ways of work-based training can’t be devised, and Toi Mai has been working with industries such as the screen sector to create new and innovative work-based training models. We hope this can continue under the new VET system.” 

Dr Robinson says until its disestablishment on 31 December 2025, Toi Mai remains committed to delivering its work programme and working alongside industry, providers and key stakeholders to grow the skills that will see our industries thrive. 

Toi Mai has made a written submission to the Education and Workforce Select Committee on the Education and Training (Vocational Education and Training System) Amendment Bill and will appear before the Select Committee at 8.50am on Thursday 10 July.

For more information on the ISBs, visit the Tertiary Education Commission website.

For a detailed breakdown, a view of the draft industry sector mapping from the WDCs to ISBs is available here.  

The next stage of the reform process will be for Establishment Advisory groups to be established next week to agree the more detailed coverage, which will then feed into the Orders in Council for the new ISBs.

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