Māori Participation in Electricity Supply Industry Boosted

22 May 2012

Māori Participation in the Electricity Supply Industry Gets a Boost

A new cadetship initiative between the Electricity Supply Industry Training Organisation (ESITO) and Te Puni Kōkiri (Ministry of Māori Development) will see 50 more Māori start full-time workplace training in the electricity supply industry by the end of October this year.

Speaking at the launch at Parliament Buildings, ESITO Chairman John McEnteer said the initiative would help ESITO encourage and support its member companies to boost the number of Māori in the electricity supply industry, and to pathway current Māori employees into positions of responsibility in their companies.

“This initiative enables us to target both new Māori recruits and current Māori employees,” Mr McEnteer said.

“The new recruits will enter the industry as trainees in a range of recognised trade careers. Existing Māori employees will have the chance to start their first trade qualification or move onto higher level qualifications that will lead to improved career prospects.”

Under this initiative employers will receive a one-off payment to support their new or upskilling Māori trainees in their training. ESITO will also expand its existing work with iwi to get rangatahi Māori excited about the opportunities in the industry and introduce them to the practical and theoretical work it involves.

The electricity supply industry’s long-term skill shortages mean Māori, which are currently 14 per cent of ESITO trainees, will play a significant role in the industry’s future workforce.

“Right up front, this initiative will benefit 50 Māori by giving them an opportunity to pursue national qualifications for a range of recognised trade and technician careers in one of the country’s most critical infrastructure industries.

“In turn, those 50 people will be able to influence the culture of their organisations and lift their state of readiness to diversify their workplace – a critical step in ensuring our industry will be able to attract and retain enough people to meet future workforce needs.”

The initiative is funded through Te Puni Kōkiri’s Māori Potential cadetship initiative, which was initially developed in response to the Prime Minister’s Job Summit in 2009.

“The Cadetships are hugely successful in providing opportunities for Maori to gain formal qualifications and skills in sectors with global and domestic demand for skilled workers such as telecommunications, infrastructure and energy,” said Te Puni Kōkiri Chief Executive, Leith Comer.

“We are thrilled to be working with ESITO to increase Māori representation in the electricity supply industry and see huge opportunities for Māori to enter an industry that offers exciting training and employment prospects.”

To ensure trainees recruited through the cadetship initiative have the best chance to succeed in their training, ESITO will provide personalised mentoring and support through its trainee coordination service.

Information about this initiative has recently been sent to all ESITO member companies. Employers wanting to find out more should call ESITO’s freephone 0800 4 ESITO or their local ESITO Customer Service Manager.

ENDS

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