Suits, Sawdust And Scones

News Release

Friday 5 October 2012

Suits, Sawdust And Scones

There will be sawdust on Ministerial shoes at the Official Opening of UCOL’s new Trades Training Centre on Thursday 11 October.

The Hon Steven Joyce has been invited to officially open the 5,300 square metre facility with the help of a hand saw. Organisers of the event decided to go one better than a traditional ribbon-cutting. Instead, the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment will cut through a carved piece of timber that will eventually mark the occasion, as the official plaque.

Used by UCOL Trades students since March, the Training Centre has flexible, shared workshop space and enough room for Carpentry students to build a three bedroom house under cover.

The Princess Street site includes welding bays, engineering workshops, woodworking facilities and an automotive spray painting booth; all fitted with high spec equipment and safety features.

“In short, it’s a building with a purpose,” says UCOL Executive Dean of Trades and Technology Kelly Gay. “We're giving students greater opportunities to get a job by providing them with excellent training tools, skilled and knowledgeable teachers and a simulating work environment – improving the quality of the qualifications they earn – and their value to employers.”

The $10 million building project is part of UCOL’s move to strengthen its buildings against earthquake risk and create a new teaching environment from a mix of existing buildings, renovations and new features.

The Centre will be officially opened by the Hon Steven Joyce at 11.00am on Thursday 11 October 2012. Members of the public are welcome to come for a tour around the new Centre between 1.00-3.00pm.

Supplementary Information:
National trends
Today’s school leavers are well placed to take advantage of a growing demand for trades and professional staff in the construction industry. New Zealand is expected to need more than double the number of construction workers over the next few years.

The demand comes from the rebuild getting underway in Canterbury, leaky-homes remedial work and pent-up housing shortages. The Chief Executive of the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation, Ruma Karaitiana, says these projects “are set to suck-up every last building professional in the country.”

The demand means young people with construction-related qualifications can expect decent salaries on entry and a steady rise towards six figures as they progress in the industry.

In the centre of the North Island, UCOL is helping to meet the current demand for skilled tradespeople and professionals by offering a suite of programmes under the banner Rebuild New Zealand. At UCOL, we’ve done our research and we know all of these qualifications will lead to a rewarding and challenging future in the construction industry.

House building in and around Christchurch has hit its highest level in more than five years as the rebuild gathers speed. The Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri councils are together issuing about 300 consents a month for new houses and multi-unit complexes, double the numbers a year ago. - The Press 6 September

The Christchurch rebuild is beginning to fuel economic activity, contributing to the strongest annual growth figures since 2007. Gross domestic product, a broad measure of the health of the economy, rose 0.6% for the three months to June, driven by a growth in milk production and construction. - Radio New Zealand 20 September

The General Manager of Jennian Homes in Canterbury, Rob Sloan, says its business has increased by up to 20 per cent and he is taking on new staff.

The value of residential building consents rose 37 per cent to $532 million, in May 2012, the highest value for a May month since 2008.

Fletcher Construction are currently repairing 100 homes a day, and have 80 per cent of the work still to do. Value on this work is $265 million.

The Department of Labour reports that skills in demand in response to the Christchurch rebuild and the improving construction sector across the country, include estimators, quantity surveyors with building or civil construction experience, tertiary qualified project managers with experience in roading or sub divisions, plus roading and drainage foremen/women and skilled operators. As a result of this demand, companies need to recruit candidates from other parts of New Zealand and overseas.

Architecture job adverts are up 148 per cent on this time last year. Overall, jobs in construction and architecture are up 79 per cent on last year, and 27 per cent this quarter.

The Department forecasts a further 100,000 jobs will open between July 2012 and July 2014 due to retirements and workforce departures, on top of 93,700 new jobs being created, 32,400 of them in construction.

Training at UCOL
Central North island students can take advantage of the high tech, industry standard facilities at UCOL’s new Regional Trades and Technology Training Centre in Palmerston North. Learning tools available to students include the latest technology, for practical and exciting hands-on training, to the highest industry standards.

UCOL programmes for the Construction industry:
• National Certificate in Joinery (Introduction)
• Certificate in Carpentry
• Certificate in Electrical and Related Trades
• National Certificate in Carpentry
• National Certificate in Mechanical Engineering
• National Certificate in Welding
• Certificate in Fitting, Welding and Machining
• National Diploma in Engineering (Electrical Engineering)
• Diploma in Furniture Making & Design

New programmes:
• Diploma in Construction Management
• Diploma in Construction Management (Quantity Surveyor)
• Diploma in Construction Management (Architectural Technician)

In the U-Skills Trades Academy, secondary school students can also make a start on a trades qualification while still studying for their NCEA. It’s the best of both worlds.

www.u-skills.co.nz

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