Wellington, Wednesday 16 December 2020: BCITO today announced that it has 16,000 apprentices in training – an all-time record. To mark this milestone, Building
and Construction Minister, Hon Poto Williams, and BCITO interim CEO, Greg Durkin, visited a Kāinga Ora housing project
in Cannons Creek, Wellington where they met Sam Skinner, owner of Skinner & Skinner Building Company Ltd (SSBC), a carpentry business that has just taken on four apprentices.
Speaking onsite, Minister Williams said, “I am delighted to present this award to SSBC, for their direct contribution to
increasing apprenticeship numbers and supporting BCITO to reach their highest number of apprentices in active training,
ever.
“Construction is a critical part of the New Zealand economy – employing around ten percent of the national workforce and
contributing around 7 percent of GDP.
“This Government recognises how important it is for New Zealand to have a resilient and high-performing construction
sector,” Minister Williams said.
BCITO interim CEO, Greg Durkin said, “It is great to see more employers taking on apprentices and so many young people
going into training. It’s an absolute win-win. The apprentice gets to earn while they learn, and for the employer it is
an investment in their business and the industry.”
Sam Skinner said, “We took on more trainees because of all the work on the Kāinga Ora development in Cannons Creek.
We’ve been helping people through their apprenticeships since 2012 and we still have our very first apprentice on the
team.
“If an employer can take on an apprentice, they should. It’s very rewarding. It not only helps me keep up to date with
the latest developments in the industry, it also helps me be an effective manager and trainer.”
SSBC currently has five carpentry apprentices, one is close to completing their training. They specialise in difficult
residential renovations and new builds featuring sloping sites, poor access, staged excavations, high-level planning and
logistics.
Interim CEO Durkin commented that taking on an apprentice has never been easier, with the Government’s 2020 Budget
offering significant investment in trade apprenticeships. As part of the $1.6 billion Trades and Apprenticeships
Training Package, $320 million has been set aside to support free trades training in critical industries, including the
construction sector. A further $412 million has also been invested in the Apprenticeship Boost initiative which offers
support for employers to retain apprentices and to hire and train more people.