The Government has formally established the eight new Industry Skills Boards (ISBs) with legislation coming into effect on 1 January 2026.

The creative, cultural, recreation and technology sectors that are currently covered by Toi Mai have been allocated to four ISBs:

• Services ISB
• Electrotechnology and Information Technology ISB
• Food and Fibre ISB
• Construction and Specialist Trades ISB

Click here to download the detailed ISB coverage (XLSX).

Next steps: what to expect and when

On 1 January 2026, the ISBs will be in place, and they will start delivering services and support progressively. Here’s what you can expect and when:

First months: January to February

The initial focus for the ISBs is to set up their core functions, which support their role in ensuring vocational training remains relevant and high-quality. This includes:

• developing, setting and maintaining standards,
• endorsing training programmes, and
• moderating assessments.

In their first months, the ISBs will also set up their governance and engagement frameworks to enable future collaboration with their respective stakeholders. To begin with, ISBs will have lean but dedicated resources in place as they set up their support for employers and industry groups.

A significant amount of work has been done by the current Workforce Development Councils (WDCs) to ensure that the new ISBs can access all of our previous work and resources to ensure as much continuity as possible for industry sectors. As required, WDCs have already provided their investment advice to TEC for inclusion in the Investment Plan guidance which is shared with all providers in March 2026 for funding for 2027.

Read the latest Toi Mai investment advice to the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC).

First half of 2026: March to June

The ISBs will progressively build their industry engagement and relationships. They will be able to develop structured outreach and partnership activities and consider training priorities and workforce planning.

ISB funding

ISBs will be funded through a combination of public funding and fees for quality assurance services. They can also charge levies, if this is supported by industry.

It will take time for fee schedules to be developed and approved. Industry support for introducing levies, as well as agreeing the scope and fee amounts, is not guaranteed and will also take time to introduce. This means that in 2026, ISBs will be reliant primarily on their core public funding.

In their first year of operation, ISBs will prioritise getting their core operations up and running. Their initial focus will be on the important VET system-wide functions of product development and quality assurance.

Read TEC’s latest update on the changes to vocational education and training.