Apprenticeships

Scott Findlay: When it comes to getting into the industry, all you've got to have really is just, you know, a good work ethic and a good attitude to want to know get out there and get some skills, you know, and enjoy what you do.

Cody Webby: To get an apprenticeship there's quite a few essential things. One being, first of all, your licence. You may need to go down the road to get a couple of building supplies. You may even need to go down the road to get milk for smoko.

Desiree Turner: It's good to find a job that has a boss that's willing to take you on as an apprentice and put you through your apprenticeship.

Anna Clearwater: It's a good idea to stay in school until you're year 12 and take subjects like English and math and maybe design because those are all things that are going to help you towards your apprenticeship.

William Ellis: Update your CV, have all your credentials up-to-date and just show willingness to learn, and working hard is definitely a big thing.

Bill Harkness: I'd recommend going knocking on a few doors, giving people a few phone calls, and building companies out there, just asking for work experience in your spare time, school holidays, and that just gets to show people that you're sort of a motivated sort of person and that's just going to help you get your foot in the door at the end of the day.

Troy Matheson: Look in the phone book and ring every builder and don't stop till you find someone willing to take you on.

Cody Webber: Five years ago I could just dig a hole. Now I can pretty much build a house. It's a lot of commitment, hard work, show up on time, make sure you always turn up and commit yourself.

Cale Marshall: When you're ready to take on the next step you'll need to find an employer who's willing to train you. After that contact, the BCITO and get the apprenticeship started.

Opal Vickery: So my name is Opal. I am a qualified electrician. I work in the residential sphere for AB Electrical.

On a normal day, usually I’ll be up early in the morning, at our wholesaler, as soon as they open – that’s my kind of way to get into the environment, have a bit of banter, get my materials sorted for the day, it’s a kind of nice way to ease into it.

Nathan Graves: So when I started my apprenticeship, we did a two week block course where they taught us all the skills we needed, gave us a basic tool kit and just really taught us the fundamentals of being a good apprentice, being eager and having the right attitude from Day One

Jason Keremea: It’s amazing to have that extra support, it’s just so beneficial

Nathan: I’m learning so much from actually being able to be hands-on and everything I learn at night class, I can bring back here [on site] and fully understand it

Jason: The stuff that you learn, your eyes just become  wide open, it’s just really exciting

Leon Mepsted: Week to week I’m with my tradesmen so I’m learning everything from them on-job, on hand, and then everything at night class is covering the theory side of it, understanding what I’m actually doing and why I’m doing this.

ETCO and my co-ordinator, they worry about my apprenticeship side of things.

Ben Davis-Young: We did two weeks down in Ramarama, you’d go in the classroom, learn it, then you’d go to the workshop and do what you just learnt, so I think it was pretty good.

It’s a support network, you’ve got co-ordinators, tutors, Switched On [an Employee Assistance Programmme which provides assistance when you need it], you don’t have to go through the worry of finding a job, and they want you to achieve your apprenticeship.

Jackson Whaanga: We go through all our health and safety, toolbox meeting, and then I get put with a team lead and we go and do mahi around the worksite, wherever it’s needed.

I always wanted to do the big job, from the industrial side, it always interested me a lot more than just domestic. So I’m based at Fonterra at the moment, so I’ve been running out cable along the ladder, been putting up new light fittings around the silos, just to get a bit of light source around the work area.

Yeah it’s good to get into the electrical trade.