Fellow of the Institute and Chartered Building Professional, Mike King, has stepped down as Chair of the Building and Construction Training Fund, formerly the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation (BCITO) after six years (two terms) in the role.
The BCITO saw rapid growth under Mike’s tenure as Chair, doubling apprentice numbers to more than 22,000 before being transitioned into Te Pukenga in October 2021 as part of the Reform of Vocational Education (RoVE). At the time of transition, the BCITO was turning over in excess of $60M a year, the largest of the ITO’s to have transitioned by some way.
Mike was elected to the BCITO Board following nomination by the NZIOB in 2009 and during that time has seen significant changes in the organisation. He recalls the early days pulling through the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis, the change to an Internal Assessment model of apprenticeship delivery, ITO amalgamations resulting from the then National Government’s drive to reduce ITO numbers, and, of course, the exhaustive discussions and negotiations around the BCITO’s RoVE transition. This has now culminated in the delivery of training transferring to Work Based Learning Limited (a subsidiary of Te Pukenga) as a going concern, and with the Qualifications writing, Standard setting and Industry Advocacy functions moving into Waihanga Ara Rau, the Construction and Infrastructure Workforce Development Council.
Mike says, “The seamless transition to the new entities was a key deliverable for the organisation from the outset and the Board are most proud of this achievement. To have accomplished this, in the face of unprecedented growth and under the cloud of the COVID-19 pandemic, is testimony to the organisation’s inner strength and culture, a direct result of excellent leadership over the years. This achievement is the legacy of all those who have shaped the BCITO over the years, and I acknowledge their input.
“The BCITO has been an extremely successful business over the 30 years of its existence, servicing tens of thousands of construction apprentices through development, maintenance and oversight of their qualifications. The BCITO has also striven to unify industry for the greater good, bringing together its membership of around 18 different industry associations, towards the common goal of upskilling and improving both gender and ethnic diversity of our construction workforce. The prolonged economic up-cycle and recent growth have resulted in significant financial reserves being built up, since their depletion after the Global Financial Crisis. These reserves were not involved in the RoVE transition and as a result the $35M+ has remained the property of the re-named Incorporated Society and will become the core of the Building and Construction Training Fund (BCTF). BCTF members have expressed their wish that the fund is used for training and education purposes across the construction industry and the existing board are engaged in the process of establishing a new Governance Framework and Constitution for the organisation’s future.
“It has been an honour and a privilege to have led the BCITO up to and through this transition and I have been fortunate enough to have had the support of many other industry leaders during my time on the board. These include my fellow board members, the BCITO’s Chief Executives and Executive Leadership Teams, the member organisations including our own NZIOB, and of course my primary employer Summerset, in allowing me the flexibility to run with this role. The final part of the jigsaw is to see the BCTF established as the BCITO’s legacy, providing long term support to the industry, of which I am so passionate, and fostering continued growth of both the skills and technology required for its success long into the future.”
