Innovative Trades Training Proposal Gets Funding

CPIT’s Innovative Trades Training Proposal to Receive Government Funding

Minister of Education, Trevor Mallard, will visit CPIT’s Trades Innovation Institute today to formally announce the approval of funding, through the TEC’s Partnerships for Excellence scheme (PFX), for CPIT’s simulated subdivision proposal.

The concept for the subdivision came about after electricity company, Orion Ltd, approached CPIT to seek urgent support in addressing the skill and knowledge gap in training for electrical power distribution. CPIT quickly gained the support of other industry partners to build the concept into a simulated subdivision with all the features and services of an authentic development.

Students will utilise the subdivision to learn key infrastructural skills such as roading, power and telecoms distribution work, residential and commercial building construction, and other infrastructural projects, in a real-world environment.

“There is a critical shortage of qualified, skilled trades people to build, maintain, upgrade and fix New Zealand infrastructure,” says Fiona Haynes, Dean of CPIT’s Trades Innovation Institute. “This shortage threatens New Zealand’s ability to grow economically and support the knowledge economy.”

“This innovative subdivision solution addresses an immediate skills and experience need, enabling CPIT to increase the number of qualified trades graduates by 20%, some in trades where training has been shelved since the downturn in apprenticeships in the 1990s, but which are now urgently needed such as plumbing and block laying,” says Mrs Haynes.

A large stretch of vacant land at CPIT’s Sullivan Ave campus has been allocated for the project, with industry partners making a significant contribution in terms of the provision of construction equipment, materials and labour. The PFX funding will further enhance this investment by contributing to the initial set up of the subdivision as well as to a Learning and Innovation Centre.

CPIT’s Trades Innovation Institute is the South Island leader in trade training and currently trains over 3200 students a year from its Sullivan Avenue campus.

ENDS

© Scoop Media