Got A Trade? Got It Made!: Industry Training Award Winners

Got A Trade? Got It Made!: Industry Training Award Winners

The 2017 Got A Trade? Got It Made! Industry Training Awards, held at Parliament last night, showcased inspiring young people driven to make a big difference in their industry. Fifty of New Zealand's best and brightest young trainees and apprentices gathered in Wellington to rub shoulders and receive honours at this year's awards.

“These incredibly impressive young people are some of New Zealand's future business leaders, and we are in good stead,” says Industry Training Federation Chief Executive Josh Williams. “Got a Trade! promotes the massive range of job opportunities that offer the chance to 'earn and learn' and launch successful careers. We congratulate last night's winners for the significant mark they make in their work and study, and we celebrate 148,000 apprentices and industry trainees gaining critical skills and qualifications in over 140 trades and services.”

Graphic and Web Designer, Myra Anderson, received the evening’s top honour, Industry Trainee of the Year. Described as driven, focused and positive, Myra has completed a Diploma in Interactive Design, Level 3 and 4 Certificates in Digital Print Processes, and intends to start her Print Management Diploma next year. Myra says her Competenz print apprenticeship gave her the confidence, skills and knowledge to turn a job into a career. She has worked on national campaigns and taught herself both industry and business management skills at Wellington’s printing.com. Her goal is to become an art or creative director – all through on the job learning.

Air New Zealand Customer Service Agent, Jahmaine Cummings-Hodge, received the Maori Community Impact Award. Jahmaine enriches and integrates community and cultural elements at work, promoting Te Reo and Maori tourism for local, national and international audiences. Jahmaine has taken Kapa Haka teams to national and international competitions and performing arts festivals. He is a proud recipient of Air NZ’s ‘Tohu Reo’, which acknowledges Jahmaine’s strong Te Reo advocacy. After completing his ServiceIQ Tourism Management Diploma and Certificate in Business, Jahmaine made a quick transition to assisting management and frontline staff at Air New Zealand.

And talented Hastings Barber, Peleti Oli received the Pasifika Community Impact Award. Peleti leads by example, translating his barbering skills into building his community. He takes on vulnerable young people, including streetkids, in his barbershop F.A.D.E.D limited (Somehz Touch Barbers), training them up and helping them find a way to a brighter future. Peleti’s personal spirit and community outreach demonstrates how people can take difficult circumstances and achieve something great. A recently graduated HITO apprentice Peleti won the Pattern category for Barbercraft two years in a row and in 2017 he took out Barbercraft’s Open Creative title.

The inaugural Got A Trade! School of the Year Award was presented to Kawakawa-based Bay of Islands College. “For the School of the Year, judges were looking for schools that support their students to move successfully into employment by offering real-world curriculum options, and improving the perception of trades and services,” says Mr Williams. “The 350 students at Bay of Islands College have access to vocational pathways and digital and distance learning options, which deliver relevant and community-linked learning. The school is involved in trades academies; students are achieving industry and employability credits through work experience programmes such as Gateway; and NCEA qualifications are being achieved with Vocational Pathways endorsements.”

“Twenty-three secondary schools across New Zealand were nominated for this award and we are thrilled to send it up to the stunning Bay of Islands, where a small school in Kawakawa is doing some equally stunning stuff.”

Find out more about Got a Trade! Week: www.gotatrade.co.nz

BACKGROUND

Got A Trade! Industry Trainee of the Year
Myra Anderson, Graphic and Web designer – printing.com
Competenz Apprentice

Myra has completed a diploma in interactive design, and Level 3 and 4 certificates in digital print processes. She’s worked on national campaigns, and over 8 years in the industry has taught herself both industry related and business management skills after hours.

Myra is now facilitating sales training, working with two junior designers in Auckland and Christchurch, and intends to start her diploma in Print Management in 2018 – all heading towards her own goal of becoming an art or creative director – all through on the job learning.

She loves complicated jobs and has found a real love for workflow and processes, productivity, quality control, business principles, health and safety, and problem solving. Myra was 2016 printing.com designer of the year, and the 2016 PrintNZ apprentice of the year.

Got A Trade! Maori Community Impact
Jahmaine Cummings-Hodge, Customer Service Agent, Air New Zealand
Service IQ Trainee

Jahmaine holds a diploma in tourism management, and the NZ Certificate in business (first line management). He successfully completed the Air New Zealand Emerging Leaders and Elite Leadership Programme, through Service IQ. He is now assisting with the management of these programmes helping Air New Zealand front line staff in preparation for leadership roles within the company.

He manages Kapa Haka conference performances and ran a tutoring company to teach Kapa Haka within the community and at various schools in Queenstown and Christchurch.

He has managed annual performing arts competitions in Queenstown for the last four years, and taken Kapa Haka teams to national and international performing arts festivals including regional and national competitions as well as international competitions/Festivals in Hawaii, Sydney and France. He is a proud recipient of Air New Zealand’s ‘Tohu Reo’, which acknowledges Maori speaking staff members within Air New Zealand, and is a strong advocate for Te Reo Maori within the company as a Maori ambassador.

In 2016, Jahmaine received the Air NZ ICON award which is a recognition award, which highlights the work ethic and achievements of 12 of the 11000 employees within the company.

Got A Trade! Pasifika Community Impact
Peleti OliHair,
Barber, Owner/Trainee F.A.D.E.D limited (Somehz Touch Barbers)Beauty and Barbering (HITO) Apprentice

Peleti holds the National Certificate in Barbering Level 3, as well as Youth Mentoring Certificates, including control and restraint inside correctional facilities. Peleti started his own barbering business in 2013, overcoming personal obstacles to do so, and has been going strong ever since.

As well as barbering, Peleti’s passion is also to help young people who have trouble in their lives: providing support for streetkids, teaching them how to cut hair, giving them skills and hope for a brighter future.

Peleti has taken on vulnerable youth in his own business, including one out of jail and another who had left a gang, showing them there was more to life than crime. Both now own their own barbering business. Peleti uses his barbering as community outreach, appearing on Maori TV’s Fresh, as a guest speaker at Youth conferences celebrating growing up in New Zealand and A Pacific Islander. Peleti gives presentations at local schools and tertiary providers, especially in Hawkes Bay.

He’s also awesome at what he does: Peleti entered and won the Pattern category for Barbercraft, two years in a row and in 2017 also took out the Open creative title as well.

Got A Trade! Secondary School of the Year, Bay of Islands College

This award recognises a New Zealand high school that is showing commitment to providing a broad range of practical pathways to students, focussed on industry and employment.

Based in Kawakawa, with a roll of 350, Bay of Islands College recently received a glowing ERO report, noting its use of vocational pathways, digital and distance learning to deliver relevant and community-linked curriculum options to its young people. Parent and whanau voice informs the programmes offered by the school. The school is involved in trades academies; students are achieving industry and employability credits through programmes such as Gateway; and NCEA qualifications are gaining Vocational Pathways endorsements, which means learners are putting together NCEA qualifications with credits that are recommended for industries, and that include foundation-level industry skills.

As well as looking at the curriculum and pathway options being offered by the schools, the ITOs and Got a Trade judges were looking for schools that are improving the perceptions of the trades and services industries as first choice options for students, and showing focus and commitment to supporting their students to make successful transitions to employment.

Find out more about Got a Trade! Week: www.gotatrade.co.nz

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