Trades training for Maori and Pasifika youth

Polytechnics, industry and community teaming up to deliver trades training to Maori and Pasifika youth

A consortium of education and training organisations, backed by industry and community partners, will enable nearly 500 Maori and Pasifika youth to gain trades training in 2015.

Auckland-based Maori and Pasifika Trades Training – which has support from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) – will provide young people, aged 18 to 34, with free access to courses in trades including carpentry, automotive and electrical engineering, and plumbing.

Eligible Maori and Pasifika candidates will be matched with trade courses from MIT, Unitec or Te Wananga o Aotearoa and then supported throughout their training by community and industry partners.

Māori and Pasifika Trades Training chairman Dr Stuart Middleton says bringing together polytechnics, industry training organisations, support agencies and business means the initiative is well placed to meet the anticipated needs of industry and support learners into certified and sustained careers in the trades.

“Industry needs work ready trainees and Māori and Pasifika Trades Training is uniquely placed to meet those needs.”

Skilled tradespeople are already in demand in Auckland – and around the country – and recent market forecasts suggest demand will grow strongly in the next 3 to 5 years.

According to the Workforce Skills Roadmap for Auckland Construction Sector, increases in residential construction and infrastructure investment in Auckland are expected to deliver around 32,000 trades jobs over the next three years. Two thirds of these jobs will require qualifications at level 4 or above – qualifications which are now accessible through Maori and Pasifika Trades Training.

Maori and Pasifika Trades Training project manager Kirk Sargent says the partnerships with business, industry training bodies, and iwi and community organisations mean students will be supported throughout the process, from training to qualification to job placement.

“Community and business support is critical if we want to see our youth realising their potential. We believe the support of our partners will play a major role in securing success for the young people who take up these training opportunities. Ultimately we want to connect our trainees with employment opportunities in their communities – that is a winning outcome for everyone.”

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