Dan Blackbourn, general manager of operations at APN News & Media, is working to ensure the future of New Zealand’s print training after being appointed as the new chair of the country’s dedicated print, media and communications industry training orgnisation, the CMITO.
Blackbourn’s new role as chairperson for the CMITO (the Communications and Media Industry Training Organisation) was announced at the beginning of July, with the appointment being finalised at the CMITO’s annual general meeting on 25 June.
In the new role, Blackbourn says he is looking forward to working with the board and ITO staff to tackle the industry challenges ahead.
- Ensuring the future of top-class print training in NZ: APN's Dan Blackbourn, CMITO's new chairperson.
“I want to ensure that the top-class training that the CMITO provides continues and that we provide a platform for anyone covered by the CMITO to succeed,” said Blackbourn. “Training is important for a number of reasons: continuity of business, ensuring that employees can contribute through productivity and ability and increased employee well-being.
“Knowing their business cares enough about them to train them leads to higher staff engagement and contribution to society and the country,” he said.
Prior to his new role, Blackbourn had served on the board of PrintNZ Training since 2005, as a representative for the Newspaper Publishers Associatio and, as general manager of operations (NZ) for APN News & Media, he is a strong advocate of formal training.
Blackbourn started his apprenticeship in hand typography at The Evening Post in 1979. With production changing from hot metal to cold type, he went on to train as a compositor. He held various roles within Fairfax before taking on his current position at APN News & Media.
Blackbourn said that having been an advocate for training at APN has resulted in apprentices from APN Print receiving the PrintNZ Training Apprentice of the Year Award twice while also featuring in the finals (two apprentices in 2013) once over the last six years.
“This is testimony that if training is committed to by the employee and the employer, then recognition of the skills learnt will come,” he said.
CMITO acknowledged the significant contribution of outgoing chairperson Nigel Harrison, who held this role for three years.
CMITO provides on-job training programmes that lead to formal qualifications for people working in the print, packaging, journalism and signmaking industries. PrintNZ Training, the NZJTO and Signmaking are sectors of CMITO.