An increase in the number of completions of qualifications and programmes by people signed up to training agreements with Industry Training Organisations (ITOs) in 2008 is a good sign for the New Zealand workforce.

Figures just released by the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) indicate that 35,958 qualifications were completed by workers with the support of ITOs in 2008.

This is a 22% increase on the number of qualifications attained in 2007. Similarly, a total of 40,042 industry training programmes were successfully completed in 2007, a 20% increase on 2007.

Furthermore, workers signed into training agreements with their employers and ITOs achieved over 3.7 million credits worth of national industry skill standards in 2008 - an average of 20 credits per employee. "That these improvements occurred in the midst of a major economic recession is a testament to the resilience of the New Zealand workforce, the commitment of NZ employers to training, and the dedication of ITOs working with their industries", said Jeremy Baker, Executive Director of the Industry Training Federation (ITF).

Overall numbers of people engaged in training through ITOs grew to 194,516 in 2008; a 4% increase on 2007. This is the smallest increase in overall numbers for a number of years, and reflects both the economic situation and the growing maturity of the industry training system. Copies of the 2008 Industry Training Statistics can be obtained from the TEC's website: http://www.tec.govt.nz/templates/StandardSummary.aspx?id=1203