5,600 new apprentices enter building trades From July 2020, BCITO has signed up 5,684 new apprentices, compared with 2,200 for the same period last year. It has also had 1,200 new employers register to train apprentices in 2020. “It’s great to see so many people wanting to take up an apprenticeship. There are fantastic opportunities for those working in the trades, you can earn while you learn, it’s free, and it is a sector that will be vital to New Zealand’s economic recovery,” says Warwick Quinn, BCITO Chief Executive. The jump in numbers follows significant government support for the trades and training. “We have 19% more apprentices in training in the first nine months than in the whole of 2019. And while it is still only October, there are almost as many new employers as there were for the whole of 2019 – with 62% of employers either joining for the first time or returning to training from July to
September. This tells us that the Government’s Apprenticeship Boost and No Fees schemes have directly driven more people into the trades and encouraged more employers to train. Which, for a sector still challenged with a skills shortage, is great news.” A $1.6 billion Trades and Apprenticeships Training Package was announced as part of the 2020 budget in May, to provide major investments in jobs and training as New Zealand gets back to work following the COVID-19 Level 4 lockdown. Some of these new apprentices are entering the trades as a second career. “We are seeing a number of sign-ups from those who have been in industries most impacted by COVID-19, such as retail and hospitality. Building and construction is a sector that has continued to perform well given the circumstances. With building consents remaining high following lockdown, and the
government committing to a number of infrastructure projects, demand for skilled labour has not gone away. A career in the trades will offer people stability in these uncertain times,” continues Quinn. Haylee Lemon, who works at Kevin Goodall Builders in Auckland, is one of BCITO’s new apprentices. After graduating from a very uni-orientated highschool, Haylee decided to take a gap year and ended up working at Bunnings. It was there that she met her current employer. “I have always been interested in the trades, so I jumped at the opportunity when Kevin offered me a job. I started in May, and began my carpentry apprenticeship in July. So far it has been great, and I am looking forward to my new career in construction,” says Lemon.
One of the 5,000+ new apprentices recently signed up, Haylee Lemon with boss Kevin Goodall.
BCITO now has a total of 15,400 apprentices in active training.
EXPERIENCED? GET BCITO QUALIFIED
FOR FREE FEES FREE* is not just for apprentices. If you’ve been working in your trade for a while, we’ll assess your current skills and knowledge against the requirements of the industryrecognised qualification for your trade.
*
Get qualified faster, best of all, if you haven’t done any prior study, it might be FREE! Find out if you’re eligible, talk to your BCITO Training Advisor now on 0800 4 BCITO to find out how.
*You will need to be an eligible individual enrolled in an eligible qualification to qualify for Fees Free. Find out more at BCITO.org.nz/feesfree
1329-3
CONTACT YOUR BCITO TRAINING ADVISOR TODAY
0800 422 486
JOINERS Magazine December 2020 page 63