Kia ora koutou, I hope 2025 is off to a great start for you and your team. At Connexis we start the year strong thanks to the positive feedback we received from you with our employer satisfaction rating for 2024 at 96%, and our trainee survey showing 95% satisfaction. While we continue to operate with an uncertain future as we await further …
A man of many hats
Denay Cottam is a standout example of how a solid foundation in the trades can open doors to a long, diverse, and future-focused career in infrastructure. A qualified plumber, gasfitter, and drainlayer, Denay completed his apprenticeship in New Plymouth before heading offshore. Over more than a decade, he worked across New Zealand, Australia, and Malaysia in high-pressure roles—both onshore and …
Gateway opens career choices for Noah
Thanks to friends and family already working as line mechanics, Noah Bennie was confident being a line mechanic was the job for him; a good match for his desire to work outside and his love of climbing. It was during a Gateway programme, working one day a week for Delta in Alexandra while he was still at high school that …
Satisfaction boost among Connexis infrastructure customers
The future of infrastructure industry training in New Zealand is in good hands according to both trainees and employers. Employer satisfaction ratings for Connexis have increased to 96%, with trainee satisfaction at 95%, based on Connexis’ 2024 annual survey. Connexis Executive Director Kaarin Gaukrodger says the results reflect Connexis’ commitment to working closely with employers and trainees to ensure programmes …
Updated NZ Apprenticeship in Infrastructure Works (Civil), (Level 4)
The training programme toward the New Zealand Apprenticeship in Infrastructure Works (Civil) (Level 4) with strands in Earthworks, Road Construction, and Road Maintenance qualification has been reviewed and updated. The changes to the training programme see an increase in the size of the programme to provide more focus on quality outcomes for your worksite in a real-world environment and we …
Excavating excellence
Congratulations to Josh Keane, from McEwan Haulage in Otago, who won the Connexis-sponsored One-Day Job Challenge at the recent National Excavator Operator Competition. Josh, who received a $500 voucher for a Connexis civil training programme, was praised by judges for his attention to detail during the challenge which involved excavating a swimming pool and completing an ‘Under the Wire Challenge’. …
Waiotahi Construction – Building a new kind of road
When Bay of Plenty’s Waiotahi Contractors wanted to introduce a professional development plan for its people, they turned to a concept every civil construction worker knows well – building roads. Waiotahi now uses the simple imagery of building a road on its Career Progression Map to give all employers a clear visual understanding of how they can develop their career …
Annual Connection returns to Christchurch in 2025
PRESS RELEASE Annual Connection will make its return to the South Island in 2025, with help from a team of three host companies. Ōtautahi/Christchurch electricity distribution network The Orion Group is proud to join forces with fellow Canterbury-based EDB EA Networks, with support from Connetics Ltd. to host Annual Connection at Canterbury Park, October 21-23, 2025. Annual Connection, managed by …
New Fees Free policy kicks off
As we welcome in the New Year, 1 January 2025 also marks the commencement of the Government’s new ‘final-year’ Fees Free policy (or final two years for work-based learning), with the ‘first-year’ Fees Free scheme ending on 31 December 2024. This means learners starting a work-based training programme for the first time in 2025 may be able to access Fees …
Government announces future of industry training
On 20 December 2024, the Government announced its plan for a redesigned Vocational Education and Training (VET) system in New Zealand, as it proceeds with the disestablishment of Te Pūkenga. Following industry feedback in August on proposals for work-based learning, the government has developed a third option and will hold targeted consultation in January 2025, with those industry organisations that …