NZIST establishment board regional briefing

This morning, I attended a briefing offered by the NZIST establishment board, itself an outcome of the Reform of  Vocational Education (RoVE) in NZ. The roadshow began last week with the intention of briefing every ITP (Institute of Technolgy Polytechnic) in NZ as all will become one entity - provisionally called NZ Institute of Skills and Technology -NZIST and with a recommended name of Pukenga Aotearoa.

The briefing was presented by Murray Strong appointed as Executive Director to lead the establishment process. He provided an overview of what lead to the formation of the NZIST establishment board - being one of 7 key changes to come out of the ROVE process -, what is currently now taking place to ensure that the new institute is up and running on the 1st of April and some indication of the impact / implications following the 1st of April.

On 1st of April, it is envisaged there will be no real change to the day to day running of ITPs. All will become subsideries of NZIST / Pukenga Aotearoa. There will be one academic board, and the ITPs will have sub-committees of the NZIST academic board. The new board will take over governance with the newly appointed CE, Stephen Town, to begin in July. Business as usual with regards to marketing, finance, teaching and learning, research etc. with an emphasis on collaboration across the ITPs replacing the 30 plus model / mindset of competition.

ITOs - industry training organisations - who will morph into Workforce Development Councils (WDCs) are working on a transition plan to ensure a smooth shift of learners supported by ITOs to the ITPs. Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) have been set up in two sectors but many more will be forthcoming. NZIST / Pukenga Aotearoa will work with WDCs, CoVEs and Te Taumata Aronui to ensure the learner journey is supported and there is a seamless/ 'joint up' vocational education system for all NZers.

A positive briefing, with Q & A from the floor addressed well and respectfully. The briefing was well attended by Ara colleagues and a follow up briefing was also provided for stakeholders. The higher level strategy and management of the new entity look to have been thought through, despite the short timeframe. No major changes really for teaching and learning delivery to students. The devil will, as always, be in the implementation. Leadership and communication will be key to bringing everyone on board and working collaboratively.