A record number of Kiwis are looking to the trades to build a career but this is still not enough to meet industry demand.

For the first time in the organisation’s history, the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation has 11,000 apprentices actively working towards a qualification.

This is a fantastic milestone but we still need thousands more apprentices in training each year to meet demand,” says BCITO Chief Executive Warwick Quinn.

“New Zealand is in the midst of a skills shortage,” says Quinn. New Zealand’s construction and building sector desperately needs more recruits. It needs 65,000 new people over the next five years to meet new growth and replace people who leave.

There has never been a better time to consider a career in construction, says Quinn.

“We expect this current pressure to continue into the 2020s. Forecasts for the next few years provide confidence for people considering a career in the construction industry and for business owners thinking about expanding their business and taking on more staff.”

The 11,000th apprentice, Aucklander and father of three Daniel Poe, says the trades offer him fantastic career opportunities and job security.

"Building is the family trade," says Daniel. “My father was a builder, I used to tag along with him on jobs. He taught me a lot and was really supportive when I decided to start an apprenticeship.”

Daniel who completed his schooling in Samoa before moving to Auckland, says it is never too late to begin an apprenticeship and is looking forward to gaining his qualification and taking the next step in his career.

“I’m looking forward to becoming a foreman, stepping up and taking the lead on projects. One day I would like to own a business in New Zealand and also find a way to give back to the community in Samoa and the Islands.”

Daniel is employed by FreeStyla Constructors in Auckland which employs about 100 people. His employer Michael Patton says taking on apprentices benefits both sides. “By training my staff I help them to get better at their jobs, earn more money and expand their opportunities. As an employer, training is essential to make my workforce grow.”

“The current environment is hectic and is only going to become more so,” says Michael. “There is a definite shortage of skilled workers in New Zealand so the more people we encourage to join the trades the better.”

BCITO has organised a range of nationwide initiatives in recent months to demonstrate the value of apprenticeships in the building and construction industry. These have included the Not Your Average Tradie Road Trip, their annual Big Construction Tour and the Build-Ability Challenge which is currently underway at secondary schools across New Zealand.

A presentation will be held in Auckland on Wednesday 12 July to mark this milestone.

| A BCITO release  ||  July 11, 2017   |||

 Have you ever thought of applying the principle of “Caveat Emptor” when hiring a H&S advisor?

The other day I was chatting with a friend and he was telling me about a business associate who was rather concerned about the amount he was having to pay for his Health and Safety consultant along with the down time he was experiencing having being told that  weekly H&S meetings were essential under the new Health and Safety at Work Act.    Not to do so could see him incur expensive penalties.

What my freind could not understand was that  a colleague of his, who is also a buisness owner, could get away with running just one H&S meeting a month.

It so happened that I was preparing an article on Caveat emptor and how important it is to take heed of this especially it in the area of health & safety. Effectivly he has no come back on the cosultant who prescribed the weekly meeting so enter Caveat emptor.  Take time to work through the H&S swamp of nonprescriptive legislation with your consultant.

So if you are thinking of hiring an external H&S consultant or you already use one, I suggest you follow this link to my article.  Hopefully you will gain from it.

||  A Hasmate release by Gordon Anderson  |  Wednesday  22 March 2017   |||

If the following is any indication then Gordon Anderson thinks there is room for improvement.

Recently I engaged Jim’s Test and Tag on behalf of a client to check out their electrical tagging as I had found a number well over due for retesting.

What Jim's Test and Tag team found was that was the client's contracted electrician had made all the electrical appliances in the staff room, shop, and office due for retesting on a 6-monthly cycle.

The Electricity (Safety) Amended Regulations 2011 testing schedule states that many only had to be tested on an 12 monthly or a 5-year testing cycle. 

Electrical tagging has for many businesses been a contentious issue of why, do I have to do it?  Well it is good risk management policy but no more frequent than the law stipulates. No need to pay  every 6 months for what could be a 5 year requirement!

|  A Hasmate release by Gordon Anderson  |  Friday 24  February 2017  ||

Gordon Anderson ponders - are the insurance company underwriters "The Silent Regulators" of H&S? The new Health and safety looks like it will be passed into law at the end of this week regardless of the attempts by a number of lobby groups trying to have it watered down.