Regional School of Construction needed for Wellington Building Boom
PRESS RELEASE – Friday 22 November 2013
Ben Kiely and Trevor Sharp, managers of Ace Building think the new Regional School of Construction announced by Minister
Steven Joyce on Wednesday is great news for Wellington. Ben and Trevor have just taken on four WelTec carpentry
graduates straight from their level 3 carpentry programme at Wellington to assist with the major new waterfront
development at the Overseas Passenger Terminal building on Clyde Quay Wharf in Wellington city.
“We are working around the clock at the moment and we need skilled carpenters. There are so many commercial jobs on in
Wellington, earthquake strengthening and new builds. We need a skilled workforce to keep up with the demand. The
Regional School of Construction is long overdue and we welcome it with open arms,” says Ben Kiely.
Turoa Kingi from Woburn finished his level 3 pre-trade carpentry course and with the help of WelTec’s jobs broker,
Arnold Lomax, immediately got a job working for Ace Building. “We’re building suspended ceilings, insulating and gibbing
this development and we needed skilled carpenters urgently. We contacted Arnold and he found us these lads who have
blown us out of the water with their skill level. Their attitude and work ethic is great – it has to be – to work for us
and on this development,” says Trevor Sharp.
As for Turoa he couldn’t be happier, “Coming straight from my course at WelTec to here is the best.”
$13.6M will be invested by WelTec into the new Regional School of Construction over the next four years.
ENDS