Competenz has welcomed chief executive Fiona Kingsford’s appointment to the iEB (interim Establishment Board) of the (MELT) Manufacturing, Engineering, Logistics and Technology WDC (Workforce Development Council).
Competenz says the interim Establishment Board (iEB) appointments provide critical industry experience in the formation of the new standards setting body for industry training. Kingsford’s appointment to the iEB ensures the industries that Competenz represents will have a strong voice in the development of the new councils. This includes printing, signage, and packaging.
She says, “I am delighted to have the opportunity to join this interim Establishment Board. I will advocate to ensure that our future workforce is armed with the skills it needs to navigate the shift to industry 4.0 in this post Covid-19 world of industry training reforms and critical skills shortages.”
Training advocate
Throughout her career within manufacturing, engineering and hospitality sectors, Kingsford has advocated for work-based learning, embedding qualifications into workplace practices, understanding the benefits to productivity and career development. Her background includes organisational design and development, vocational education and training, strategy, M&A and change management.
Recently, the New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology (NZIST) Establishment Board selected her as chair of the Work-Based Learning Working Group. This provides advice on this critical component to the reform of vocational education. She is a member of the Forest Industry Ministerial Advisory Board and director of Group Training Organisation, ATNZ. She has served a member of the establishment board and chair of Auckland Māori and Pasifika Trades Training Consortia.
WDCs and iEBs
In May, Education Minister Chris Hipkins decided to fast-track the WDC formation. The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) appointed the iEB members to work on the formation of all six WDCs. Each WDC has its own iEB. Each iEB will establish the WDC as a legal entity.
Where possible and practical, the iEB will also work with transitional Industry Training Organisations, (NZIST) and other providers. It says this will inform the tertiary education system’s response to Covid-19 impacts.
