6 Wairarapa Midweek Local News Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Determination wins PM’s honour Erin Kavanagh-Hall A quiet yet determined Masterton teenager is among the first students in the country to receive a prestigious award for excelling in his chosen future career path – endorsed by the Prime Minister of New Zealand. Cole Hodson, Year 12 at Makoura College, was presented with the inaugural Prime Minister’s Vocational Excellence Award at the school’s senior prize giving earlier this month. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern launched the award in August this year, to acknowledge students who have achieved in vocational education – working towards a career in the technical, trades, manufacturing and creative industries while at secondary school. From this year, all secondary schools and wharekura can each nominate one student for the award, which comes with a $2000 cash prize. Cole, nominated by the Makoura Careers team, was considered a clear front runner – for his diligence in pursuing NCEA credits in carpentry and technology, willingness to learn new skills and push himself beyond his comfort zone, and proving himself a conscientious and
Cole Hodson, left, Careers teacher Therese King, Careers administrator Fionna Omundsen, Motorworks co-owner Alex Bilton, and colleagues. PHOTO/ERIN KAVANAGH-HALL
dependable team member at Motorworks Mechanical and Electrical, where he has been doing work experience for the past six months. His teachers also praised him for consistently displaying the core competencies most valued by employers, such as problem solving, effective communication and resilience, both at work and in his studies. Cole was also awarded the Gateway Student of the Year trophy, for excellence
in Makoura’s Gateway programme, which matches senior students with work experience placements in the fields they aspire to. Careers teacher Therese King attributes Cole’s successes to an ability to absorb information, and a fierce determination to see any piece of work through to the end, which she predicts will serve him well in his future career. “Cole is a quiet student, a man of few words – but he gets stuff done,” King said. “He’s very aware of his
surroundings and soaks up everything you tell him like a sponge. “He’ll do what’s asked of him with no complaints – whatever task you give him, he’ll persevere until it’s done. “We’re very proud of him. We were so excited to nominate him – it was so hard to contain ourselves and keep it a secret before prizegiving.” Cole has been working with Makoura’s Careers department for the past year, enrolling in both
Gateway and the Licence to Work (L2W) initiative – set up by the Youth Education, Training and Employment Partnership to help prepare young people for the workforce. He has also been part of the community Driver Mentor Programme, and is close to gaining his restricted licence. Students enrolled in L2W learn about the seven key employability skills – communication, teamwork, self-management, willingness to learn, thinking skills, resilience and a positive attitude – while in school, and must complete an 80-hour work experience placement. With carpentry as one of his chosen subjects, Cole gained an internship with the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation as part of the team of students working on the college’s annual construction project - building a transportable house on the school grounds. While he excelled in his field, auto electrical engineering was his “first love” – so the Careers team organised him a placement at Motorworks. Co-owner Alex Bilton said Cole has fitted in well with the Motorworks team, who have so far been impressed by Cole’s quiet confidence and work ethic.
“The guys have definitely embraced him as one of the team,” Bilton said. “Cole works well with the others, but he’s able to get stuck into jobs on his own. He’s very independent, and will step out of his comfort zone, but he’ll ask for help if he needs it. “He’s eager to learn, and picks things up very quickly.” Bilton said Cole’s enthusiasm for the automotive trade has been particularly encouraging, as it has become harder to attract young people to the industry over the last decade. “There’s a perception that [automotive] is mostly physical work – a lot of swinging spanners and changing tyres. “But there’s also a lot of technology involved, and you need a good understanding of computers – which we’re trying to promote, as the technological side is exciting for young people.” Cole said he has enjoyed working on a variety of jobs, both mechanical and electronic repairs, at Motorworks, and hopes to gain an automotive engineering internship next year. He plans on putting his prize money towards a new set of tools.
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