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Concerns raised over apprenticeship scheme
12 Feb, 2021 08:00 PM
8 minutes to read
Apprenticeship numbers have climbed but still aren t where they need to be experts say. Photo / Getty Images
Apprenticeship numbers have climbed but still aren t where they need to be experts say. Photo / Getty Images
Heavyweights in the trades say a broad-brush approach to the Government s apprenticeship scheme is draining funds that should go to sectors hardest hit by the skilled labour shortage. Plumbers, electricians and building representatives were also concerned people were training for the wrong reasons or employers were using them as cheap labour.
But others say Government funding had helped build business confidence and more apprentices gaining qualifications was a win-win.
From beneficiary to business owner: Levi s story
6 Feb, 2021 08:00 PM
4 minutes to read
Levi Menzies has started his own business after spending years on the sickness benefit. Photo / George Novak There were times I d go in there bawling my eyes out and say I can t accomplish this, it s too hard. Those are the words Levi Menzies uses to describe his journey off the sickness benefit and into work - with the help of the Ministry for Social Development.
The 27-year-old, who said he once suffered from low self-esteem and confidence, is now the boss of his own security company, in Tauranga - and he calls the shots.
Beneficiary finds plum job in the trades
6 Feb, 2021 08:00 PM
4 minutes to read
Daisylee Rogers has taken up a plumber, gas fitter and drain layer apprenticeship. Photo / Andrew Warner
Daisylee Rogers has taken up a plumber, gas fitter and drain layer apprenticeship. Photo / Andrew Warner
Daisylee Rogers apprenticeship journey began with a letter to a potential employer after she was made redundant because of Covid. The jobless former draftsperson for the building industry wrote to BOP Plumbing & Gas Ltd in Rotorua last year- and more than six months later she was given the opportunity to prove herself. I asked if they could take me on to do labouring or if they were looking for an apprentice anytime soon. I was so keen.