By Kaarin Gaukrodger, Director, Connexis – the infrastructure business division of Te Pūkenga Work Based Learning Limited Story first published in LG Magazine (March 2022 edition) Putting in place a formalised qualification and competency pathway for infrastructure workers to follow in pursuit of skills and career options is central to plugging the current gap between workforce capabilities and growing industry …
Kia ora koutou, 2022 kicked off with heightened concern for the workforce challenges facing many industries within New Zealand. While there are immediate concerns of the impact COVID isolation requirements will have on business continuity, the growing workforce skills gap is an issue for the long-term sustainability of industries. For 2022 there is a renewed focus on the need for …
Kia ora koutou, 2021 was a watershed year for Connexis as we became the second organisation to transition from an Industry Training Organisation into the new national training provider Te Pūkenga, all while growing our business to service the largest single growth in infrastructure trainees that the industry has experienced. Our focus for 2021 was to ensure our transition into …
An appreciation of the challenge of fitting training in with fulltime work was one of the biggest learnings Toby Beaglehole took from his New Zealand Certificate in Workplace Health and Safety Level 3. The Chief Executive of Te Pūkenga Work Based Learning Limited (WBL) started the on-job training programme back in 2019, when he headed up Connexis. He wanted to …
Kia ora koutou, Industry training, aligned to formal qualifications, has never been more in demand across the infrastructure sector. The increased accessiblity to qualification training through government subsidies in response to Covid – the Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund and Apprenticeship Boost – has seen employers taking the opportunity to skill up their local workforce. We have seen unprecedented growth in enrolments this year …
Kia ora koutou, This month, while we have been forging ahead with our transition plans and resourcing up to meet our increased trainee and apprentice numbers, we have also been reflecting on 2020 in the run up to the Annual General Meeting. The past 18 months have been marked by unprecedented change for both Connexis and the industries we serve. First Covid, …
Girls with Hi-Vis® is well underway and has been getting national attention with an article in the New Zealand Herald. On Friday 11 June, the NZ Herald ran a feature on the Girls with Hi-Vis® (GWHV) initiative and the value women can bring to the infrastructure industries. Read the article here, including a profile of Ultimit Ambassador Kat Kaiwai of Tairāwhiti …
Kia ora koutou, There’s a lot of change happening in our sector, and we’ve embraced that with some changes of our own. At the end of the year I’ll be leaving Connexis to join BCITO (the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation) and Kaarin Gaukrodger, our very able and experienced General Manager, will be taking over the reins. I’m immensely proud of the team at Connexis and …
The Government’s recently announced Free Trades Training scheme is a welcome boost for the Infrastructure Industry. It provides a platform for attracting keen new workers to build the required workforce capacity and capability to deliver on the pipeline of infrastructure projects. The Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund (TTAF – also called Free Trades Training) of $320 million was announced by …
It all started with a keen interest in operating heavy machinery and it has led to an industry qualification for Raj Prasad. Raj is a long-time employee of Auckland-based civil-engineering company Vuksich and Borich and was recently accredited as a Civil Tradesperson after achieving his Civil Infrastructure Apprenticeship in Earthworks. This was a milestone not only for Raj, but also …
