Students lay the foundation for a career in trades

The three school holiday intakes saw a total of 54 aspiring students come together from Auckland Seventh Day Adventist High School, Southern Cross College, Papakura High School, Alfriston College, James Cook High School, Otahuhu College and Waiuku College.

In term two, Azeala from Alfriston College jumped at the chance to gain hands-on experience with Panorama Painters. “I currently take a building course at the MIT Tec Park in Manukau, and this programme has helped me see a lot of the practical side of what carpenters do. I want to make a future out of this.”

Mika from Papakura High School worked with Hauraki Plumbing and really enjoyed the varied nature of the work. “We replaced leaky taps, we went under the house, we used tools, we fixed toilets. I really enjoyed it. It was a hands-on job, where you look at a problem and work out how to fix it. You have to use your brain and also use physical labour.”

During each school term, the Downer Trades Resource Team visit secondary schools in South Auckland, which is the area they service under their Kāinga Ora maintenance contract. They talk about the benefits of gaining trade skills and recruit keen students to the next intake of the cadetship programme.

Kevin Barry, Senior Trades Resource Manager at Downer explains.

“The students let us know the trades that interest them, and we pair them up with our subcontractors for the full two weeks, working on Kāinga Ora homes. Plumbing and carpentry are very popular, followed by electrical works, and recently we’ve offered project management, too.”

On the tools

“The students learn a variety of technical skills, giving them invaluable experience of the real working world and the chance to see for themselves the opportunities that lay ahead if they choose a career in the trades.”

“At the end of the second week, a graduation ceremony is held for the students. The subcontractors are there and always cheer loudly as their students go up to collect their certificates. The proud family members are always thrilled and thankful that their tamariki got to experience this opportunity. It’s awesome.”

Nigel Chandra, Kāinga Ora Construction Plus Manager, explains that the cadetship programme started over five years ago with just five students, and it now averages around 20 students per term.

“It’s important to Kāinga Ora that we can help build connections for those within our communities. This programme gives students a chance to gain autonomy, capability and capacity to then head into employment.”

This year, the New Zealand Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation (BCITO) has partnered with the programme to offer students credits for the attending. Those credits count towards a formal apprenticeship, if the student decides to go down that path.

“This year we have really been fortunate to bring in BCITO,” says Nigel. “They offer up to twenty valuable credits to students who are on the programme. This means a lot for the students – it gives them a head start.”