FAQs Industry Skills Board

Industry Skills Boards (ISBs) are new entities that will be established formally from 1 January 2026.

HITO will sit under the Services Industry Skills Board, which has a core role of standard setting for vocational education across their allocated sectors. They will also work to share the voice of industry and advise TEC about workforce needs.

The Services Industry Skills Board will be set up through an Order in Council and will be industry led. (Six out of eight board members will come from industry.)

Our industries: Hairdressing, Barbering and Beauty Therapy

As well as:

Business administration and management
Leadership and management
Hospitality
Tourism
Outdoor recreation
Sport and exercise
State sector
Laundry
Libraries
Museums
Real estate
Recreation facilities
Retail and sales
Security

ISBs will be funded through a combination of public funding, optional industry levies, and fees for quality assurance services. Their role will be to make sure that vocational training is relevant, high-quality, and aligned with industry needs.

Yes, HITO will continue to take enrolments into all hair, beauty and barbering apprenticeships.

As part of the Government’s reform of the vocational education and training sector, New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology (NZIST), formerly known as Te Pūkenga, is being disestablished. Therefore all business operations of HITO business division of NZIST will transfer to the Services Industry Skills Board.

It is business as usual. As a learner, you will still be able to complete your apprenticeship programme with HITO. Support services will stay the same, fees will stay the same and off job training and workshops will stay the same.

We do not expect there to be any changes to your training or training agreement, but if any changes are proposed, we will consult with you in advance.  Otherwise, your training agreement will continue unaffected (except for the change of provider being, Services Industry Skills Board)

It is business as usual. All enrolments in HITO’s programmes (whether current, former or pending) will automatically be transferred to the ISB, and trainees and employers do not need to sign new training agreements with the Services Industry Skills Board.

Any information that we hold about your business will be transferred to the Services Industry Skills Board, but where and how it is stored and used will not change.  The same data security measures remain in place.