Kaikohe youth empowered to get cars road ready

Kaikohe youth empowered to get their cars road ready

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Kaikohe’s young people are being taught to get their own cars ready for the road in NorthTec’s newly-opened automotive workshop in the town.

Well-known local mechanic Roger Floyed is tutoring groups of 15 students on the first 12-week course with 10 people already on the waiting list for the second course which starts in April.

Roger had his own business doing petrol and diesel repairs and servicing in Kaikohe for nearly 20 years and saw running NorthTec’s training workshop as a great way to continue his work with youth. “I’ve always pushed young people to do something with their lives and have taken kids off the street to train in my workshop. Seeing a look of achievement on their face when they’ve achieved a task is a great reward.”

Students on the course are taught how to maintain and upgrade their vehicles with each student being provided with their own sponsored toolkit for the duration of the course. “The course gives them real world knowledge in a proper workshop.” A side benefit is that many of them leave the programme with vehicles that can be warranted and registered.

Roger’s standards are high and the workshop is immaculately tidy. “It’s important to learn good habits from the start. I teach the students skills and about things like being punctual and having good ethics and scruples.”

The students themselves are thriving under Roger’s watchful eye with several hoping to take their automotive studies further on the one-year pre-trade course being taught in Whangarei.

Roger hopes that if the local community gets behind the programme NorthTec may look at delivering a one-year pre-trade course in Kaikohe.

“There’s been a great response from the community already with local garages being prepared to take the students on for work experience. They see this course as potentially providing their future workforce.”

Kara Thompson is a current student and travels from Waitangi every day to do the course. She says she’s always had an interest in cars and wanted to do an automotive course. “I wanted to get the knowledge and the skills to be able to maintain my own car and to help others. It’s so expensive to get someone else to do it.” In the longer terms she’s interested in doing an apprenticeship. “I love working on cars and our tutor’s choice!”

Fellow student Dan Flavell wanted to learn about how to fix his own car and is also interested in doing an apprenticeship. “Every day you learn something new. It’s good to learn all the tricks off someone like Roger.”

ENDS

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