Grace Reid concentrates on pointing the forklift accurately.
Grace Reid concentrates on pointing the forklift accurately.
Driving a forklift is not as easy as it looks, as some students from Totara College found out.
The senior students were enrolled into a three-day careers course, learning how to operate a forklift so they could gain employment after leaving school.
Senior Totara College students with their instructor Stuart McConchie. From left: Zac Walsh, Grace Reid, Ben Knightly, Bradley Locke, Jesslyn Reid and Ashley Francom.
TR Driver Training instructor Stuart McConchie says a lot of businesses use forklifts and to have such a skill is an advantage when going for a job.
He says it takes a three-day course to ensure drivers are competent, starting with a theory session on safety elements, then two days of practical lessons starting with manoeuvring the machine, then loading and stacking goods and finally carrying an assessment.
If successful, the driver will gain a Fork Lift Operator Certificate and seven Level 3 NCEA credits.
Ben Knightly manoeuvres the forklift backwards.
The course is about preparing students for the working world.
“Currently Totara senior students are interfacing with the workplace and tertiary study environments and doing specialist courses, due to a partnership with outside agencies,” principal Dr Peter Ferrar says.
He says the just-completed forklift course was the most recent example and other courses offer help to gain a driver’s licence – both theory and practical and following on with defensive driving training.
Totara College offers tertiary courses which bridge into careers such as nursing, science, hairdressing, early childcare, construction, mechanical engineering, vet nursing, beauty therapy and hospitality.
They can range from five-day tasters at a tertiary campus to those running the whole year on at least one day a week with all expenses including transport to Palmerston North covered.
Peter says it is now possible for a senior student with a clear vision to go to UCOL (Te Pukenga) three days each week and be at school the other two doing a more tailored programme.
He says such courses make them ready for an apprenticeship or enable them to do a higher tertiary course using the Government’s Fees Free for those studying fulltime.
The forklift course was run at the school through the loan of a forklift by Ruahine Property Works Ltd.
