Local glaziers score scholarships

Mikaere Kaywood (left) and Bradley Jensen of Levin, who have been awarded apprentice scholarships in glazing.

Two local glaziers have scored places on a prestigious scholarship programme mentored by the Master Glaziers organisation.

Bradley Jensen and Mikaere Kaywood of Levin Glass have been accepted on the IAG Trades Scholarship programme, and will be inducted at a ceremony in Wellington on October 11.

Each year IAG supports a number of trades apprentices through the programme, so repair work in the areas it covers as an insurance company are carried out by experts.

Both Bradley and Mikaere were accepted after completing a rigorous interview process.

"Only a certain number of people get accepted," Bradley said. "I was pretty blown away to be accepted to be honest."

Bradley said he got into glazing after being given the opportunity to do some casual labour in the trade and now really enjoys his work.

"I get to meet new people every day and every job's different," he said.

It was also satisfying to see the finished outcome of completing various glazing jobs, he said.

Mikaere said he got into the trade through a friend, and was "stoked" to have been awarded the scholarship.

He also enjoyed the variety the job offered.

"I just like being out at different sites and not in the same place," he said. "It's something different every day."

He said all the different skills that were learned in glazing kept it interesting and he
hoped to have his own business one day.

Both Bradley and Mikaere's apprenticeships, which are in house glazing, will last around four and a half years, and the scholarship programme will mean they are visited and mentored during that time, as well as having their apprenticeships paid for.

Apprenticeships and qualifications for glaziers are provided through the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation (BCITO), a government-appointed body that develops professional qualifications and sets standards for the industry.