The launch of this new Industry Training Organisation tonight reflects the innovation so evident in this sector. The merger will bring new synergies to the sector. The combination of PrintNZ and the New Zealand Journalists Training Organisation will bring together the main elements of the media sector. This will give more opportunity and choice  for young New Zealanders entering this sector.

This Government is a strong advocate of industry training. Over the past two decades this sector has been substantially reorganised. The intent has been to have a training system that meets contemporary needs.

Industry training increases the skills and productivity of our workforce efficiently and cost-effectively. This is important to a small country like New Zealand, especially in times of economic uncertainty.

If we are to future-proof our economy and set ourselves up for a strong recovery we must ensure that training reflects the needs of the economy, not just at present, but also to meet future challenges.

Industry training will therefore help provide solutions to the challenges New Zealand is facing. At the recent Job Summit the Prime Minister made it clear that he wants to find out, and quickly,  what we can do to keep up or increase levels of industry training during the recession.

My colleague Anne Tolley is leading several important initiatives that have come out of the Job Summit. These include providing more flexible training arrangements for firms and fast-tracking the Youth Guarantee Scheme.

The Youth Guarantee Scheme will allow 16 and 17-year-olds who have left school free access to a study programme. The Youth Guarantee is a significant plank in our plans to upskill New Zealand's teenagers, particularly those who do not learn well in a structured school environment.

We are entering a period where there will be fewer jobs for lower-skilled workers and school leavers. We need to have educational opportunities available that will help them to become more employable and productive when the economy picks up.

Industry training is crucial to ensuring that.

Tonight's merger is evidence our industries are getting on and focusing on what can be done to get New Zealand moving in the right direction again.

As the Minister for Research, Science and Technology, and with Associate Ministerial responsibilities for both Economic Development and Tertiary Education, I am particularly heartened by initiatives such as the PrintNZ Training Productivity Fund.

This fund will see support given to companies wanting to find ways to become more competitive and innovative. I look forward to hearing which firms receive this funding.

Like many industries, companies represented by PrintNZ Training and the New Zealand Journalists Training Organisation are facing difficult decisions and choices.

The Communciations and Media Industry Training Organisation will provide a powerful platform to meet the skills needs of your members. As one body you will be better able to express the views of a broader membership and the training needs of your industries.

The advent of the CMITO also marks the launch of the journalism industry's first workplace-based training programme - the new National Diploma in Applied Journalism. This is an example of the expansion of training opportunities in the new environment for those working in journalism and related fields. It highlights CMITO's intent to shift the focus of journalism training to workplace training and develop on-the-job programmes for people entering that industry.

This merger opens the way for industry training to reach other parts of the communications and media industries such as publishing, advertising and multi-media. This will lead to further opportunities to formalise current on-the-job training arrangements.

Industry training is increasingly important in a modern economy as the pace of technological change increases. Many workers will have multiple courses in their lives, not just  different jobs. It is the lifelong learning  offered by industry training that helps the transition.

This new organisation is a modern expression of meeting the demands of a changing economy.

CMITO Chief Executive Joan Grace, congratulations to you and the two organisations on the hard work that has culminated in this official launch of the Communciations and Media Industry Training Organisation.