MITO has released a suite of new and updated training programmes for the collision repair and refinishing sectors, following consultation with industry, spanning entry-level through to advanced qualifications. MITO, part of Te Pūkenga Work Based Learning, has run on-the-job training for the automotive trade for more than 50 years.
The most immediate change splits the existing Level 3 collision repair and refinishing programme into two separate qualifications, one for each sector, making it easier for learners to gather evidence relevant to their specific trade.
More choice at Level 4, a new step at Level 5
The Level 4 collision repair programme now includes elective standards, among them structural repair, previously only available at Level 5. Shifting structural repair down a level clears space for a new qualification above it: the New Zealand Certificate in Automotive Collision Repair (Advanced Industry Specialist) at Level 5, aimed at learners moving into leadership roles. Entry to the standalone Level 5 structural repair strand requires the Level 4 Non-Structural Repair qualification first, and costs $682, excluding GST; the Level 4 refinishing qualification runs $1,189 a year, excluding GST. The refinishing qualifications are developed with I-CAR New Zealand and endorsed by the Collision Repair Association, giving the update backing from the two bodies most directly involved in setting industry standards for the trade.
I-CAR New Zealand operations manager Rick Lunn, who helped shape the changes, says they reflect direct industry feedback: “These updated programmes reflect what the industry has been asking for: clearer pathways, greater flexibility, and training that aligns closely with real workshop practices.”
Delivery follows MITO’s usual on-the-job model: workplace practical learning paired with eLearning for the theory components, which learners can complete in their own time rather than in a classroom. Progress and results are tracked through MITO’s online portal, visible to both learner and supervisor as the qualification builds.
The full line-up
The new and updated programmes now available for enrolment are:
- New Zealand Certificate in Automotive Collision Repair (Level 3)
- New Zealand Certificate in Automotive Collision Repair (Non-Structural Repair) (Level 4), with an optional Structural Repair Technician strand
- The structural repair strand, also available standalone for those who’ve already completed the Level 4 Non-Structural Repair qualification
- New Zealand Certificate in Automotive Refinishing (Level 3 and Level 4)
- New Zealand Certificate in Automotive Collision Repair (Advanced Industry Specialist) (Level 5)
Two snapshots of the same pathway
MITO’s own record of past apprentices shows what the new leadership-focused Level 5 qualification is designed to formalise. Adam Devoy started as a 17-year-old apprentice collision repair technician at Tony Fabish Panelworks in Te Awamutu, with, by his own account, no clear plan beyond an interest in cars and metalwork. “Like a lot of young people, when I left school I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do,” he says. “What I did know was that I liked cars, and I enjoyed metalwork, so I went from there.” After qualifying through MITO, Devoy progressed to a senior role, was promoted to foreman, and today owns the business that gave him his first apprenticeship — exactly the kind of technician-to-owner trajectory the new Advanced Industry Specialist qualification is aimed at supporting with a formal pathway, rather than leaving it to chance and a supportive employer.
At the entry end of the same pipeline, current apprentice X’Phia Johnson began her New Zealand Certificate in Collision Repair at City Collision Repairs in Napier in 2024, going straight into the workshop rather than easing in gradually. “When you’re reading it and then get to do it physically, it gives you a better understanding,” she says of the mix of practical and theory work now split more clearly between the two new Level 3 qualifications. She’s aiming to add a refinishing apprenticeship once collision repair is complete, with an eye on eventually running her own shop.
Scholarships for the first intake
MITO chief executive Verna Niao frames the update as a resilience measure for the sector: “Keeping our workforce future-ready is critical. These refreshed programmes have been designed alongside industry to ensure learners build the relevant skills needed to support a strong, adaptable collision repair sector now and into the future.”
MITO is offering a limited number of scholarships, covering one year’s fees, for the first enrolments into the new Level 5 programme and the combined Level 3 and 4 apprenticeship pathways in both collision repair and refinishing. Full programme details and enrolment are available at mito.nz.
For workshop owners managing collision repair and refinishing teams, the changes give a clearer picture of what each qualification level actually covers, and, on the evidence of MITO’s own graduates, where a well-supported apprentice can end up.
