FATHER OF FOUR GETS CRITICAL SKILLS TRAINING – ‘GAME CHANGER’
For father of four Iroriana (Iro) Reid, the Critical Skills Apprenticeship Programme has been a game-changer. An apprentice with Mather Builders in the Bay of Islands, Iro is described by foreman Ben Harder as “fantastic on the worksite but not so good with the bookwork”.
“It should have taken Iro three years to complete his apprenticeship but he’s been with us for five,” says Harder. “All he has to do is the paperwork and he’ll be a qualified builder earning more money, but until recently he’d always find a reason not to. Literacy was a big part of it – he’d done all the work but wasn’t sure how to put it into words.”
When Harder heard that BCITO and Education Unlimited were piloting their Critical Skills Apprenticeship Programme in Kerikeri earlier this year, he put Iro’s name forward. The results have been significant.
“Before the course he was at about 30% completion and now he’s up to almost 70%. The course taught him how to upload his evidence and spurred him on to get his driver’s licence. His progress has just snowballed.”
Now Iro’s on track to complete his apprenticeship before Christmas, and he couldn’t be prouder.
Says Iro: “I left school at 15 and I’ve never graduated from anything before. Graduating from this course was a really good feeling. It was good for me, and good for my family.”
As well as getting him one step closer to that pay rise, the programme has boosted his confidence and developed his capabilities.
“I learnt how to communicate with people, gained a better understanding of the theory, and also learnt about teamwork, mindset thinking and money management.”
Iro is just one of 11 Northland tradies who completed the pilot, and it had such an impact on all of them that the programme will now be rolled again, with the next course kicking off in Whangarei on September 8.
The programme is a result of BCITO andTe Pūkenga joining forces with workplace training provider Education Unlimited to boost apprenticeship success in Te Tai Tokerau Northland.
Together, they developed the Critical Skills Apprenticeship Programme, a course which aims to support apprentices through the theoretical component of their qualification and help people such as Iro who struggle with certain parts. As Education Unlimited director and Kerikeri local Tina Rose explains, while these apprentices are “awesome on the tools”, many of them trip up when it comes to navigating the bookwork.
“The assumption is that doing an apprenticeship is all hands on, but that’s not true. You’re encouraged to use the BCITO portal, load photos, and write about what you’ve been doing. You need to be able to read plans and product specs. These aren’t the sorts of things you just wake up one day and know how to do,” says Rose.
Lower than average apprenticeship participation and completion rates – particularly among Māori and Pasifika – are well documented, and with 37% of Te Tai Tokerau apprentices identifying as Māori, completions in the region are below what they should be.
“Significant numbers don’t finish their qualification or languish over duration, essentially working as semi-skilled labourers. By supporting these apprentices to not only be great on the job, but also do the formal mahi, we’re empowering them for success and building workforce resilience.”
The programme includes five full-day workshops covering everything from SMART (specific, measurable achievable, relevant and time-bound) goal setting and time management to financial literacy. Apprentices gain their Site Safe Foundation Passport Building Construction ticket, complete a GoodYarn mental health awareness programme and have access to one-on-one support with a specialised trainer who works with neurodiverse learners.
“Individual apprentices have moved from no progress on the BCITO portal to over 50% in five months. Others set personal goals and achieved them, and one talked of being a better dad and having more patience with his whānau,” adds Rose.
“The biggest win was creating a scalable programme model – when all stakeholders paddle the waka in the same direction, great things happen. Training advisors spent quality time with apprentices off the worksite and apprentices finished the course with a whole bunch of new friends who are walking the same path as them.
“This was much more than a programme. It was a journey of discovery.”
But for Iro, it’s the beginning of many opportunities all brought about by taking that first critical step.