Master Joiners conference attendees were welcomed onto Ara Institute of Canterbury’s trades campus in Woolston to see first-hand where the experts of the future get their start.
More than 300 delegates signed up for the three-day conference in Christchurch which ended with the presentation of industry awards at a gala.
The Ara campus tour, led by coordinator and tutor for Ara’s joinery managed apprenticeships, Darren Evans, provided a chance for conference-goers to see Ara’s facilities, speak to tutors and hear updates on Ara programmes.
“Our offerings are unique. We like to individualise our training, and the apprentice-managed programme concentrates on giving the apprentice a wider range of skills to use in their career,” Evans says.
Ara currently offers a Level 3 Certificate in Construction Trade Skills (Carpentry and Joinery) and the New Zealand Certificate in Joinery (Apprenticeship) at Level 4. The apprenticeship programme is offered in four specialisations including cabinetry, timber doors and windows, timber stairs, and laminate fabrication.
Joinery will also be part of a newcomer to Ara’s trades offerings for 2025. The Trades Primer is a free course providing students with a taste of a variety of specialties over a half-year of study.
Designed to help prospective trades students to make informed decisions about their next step, it will cover machining, fabrication, welding, automotive, autobody, carpentry, joinery, painting and decorating, electrical, plumbing, gas fitting and drain laying.
As well as the tour, Ara had a strong presence throughout the Master Joiners conference with Evans speaking about training options with a focus on training for female apprentices. Alongside him, current Ara apprentice Arna Ward spoke at a Women in Trades sponsored event.
Evans describes Ward as “One of the best to have come through the programme”, with three awards under her belt including winning apprentice of year twice.
Ara managed apprentices have also seen success at the recent Canterbury Master Joiners regional awards. John Williams of Sydenham Joinery won first place and Michael Chambers of Alsop Joinery took second place. Both are in their fourth year of apprentice training.
Ara has sponsored three national categories with five awards to be handed out at the Saturday night gala event including Highest Judged for Workmanship and Skill, Best Timber Project and Best Fitment.
Evans says it was great for Ara to be so keenly involved in the conference.
“Today was a chance to show off our workshops at Ara to the rest of the joinery community. This is the first national conference held in Canterbury since before the earthquakes. It was a great opportunity for us to also hear from employers who were giving plenty of encouraging feedback,” he says.