Construction boom creating plenty of career opportunities

By JANINE OGIER


Third-year apprentice Karl Smit grew up with building in his blood, visiting construction sites as a child to see his dad at work.

So it was no surprise when he decided to enter the trade himself three years ago, beginning a carpentry and concrete construction apprenticeship at Tom Smit's business Roading and Construction.

"At school I did woodwork and joinery and once I got my hands on it I really enjoyed it," Smit says.

The hardest thing about the job is getting up at the crack of dawn. "I have never been a morning person."

But the building boom means those early rises are essential as construction workers across the country try to keep up with the constant workflow.

Master Builders Federation chief executive Chris Preston says there's a nationwide shortage of skilled staff, including carpenters and sub-trades such as texture coaters, plasterers and roofers.

At a higher skill level, quantity surveyors and project managers are also in demand.

In places such as Wanaka, Queenstown and Wairarapa the boom is because of the lifestyle attraction and holiday homes, while other regions are benefiting from strength in the farming sector, especially dairying, and immigration is fuelling demand in Auckland.

Preston says some poaching of staff from one company to another has raised pay rates overall.

"I think generally the pay rates are pretty reasonable, and if you go on and take one of the higher-level positions the pay is pretty good," he says.

First-year apprentices earn around $10 an hour, qualified carpenters around $20 an hour and site foremen earn $22-$28 an hour, depending on the project size.

"There is a growing awareness and interest in the building industry and part of that is because people can see there is a career," says Preston. "You can run your own business or become a site foreman or even the general manager of a building company."

Bernard Te Paa, northern regional manager for the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation (BCITO), says the industry has more than 4900 apprentices, 1400 of them in the area from Bombay to Kaitaia.

An advertising campaign to attract young workers and aggressive marketing at employment expos and schools resulted in building apprenticeships rising 30 per cent in the region this year, with an increase of 15 expected next year.

There's constant demand from builders for young staff, so interested people should contact the BCITO for help in getting matched with a suitable employer.

Apprentices can do their formal theory training as block courses or a self-paced learning package, and night classes are being introduced next year. It usually takes 3 1/2 years to complete an apprenticeship.

Some young workers do courses before they start their apprenticeships - it depends on the employer's needs whether they want someone with some experience or a blank slate.

Karl Smit does his training in his own time at home and he keeps a daily log of his practical work.

Apprenticeships and training courses have diversified over the years from just carpentry as more skills are called for in associated trades, such as cement and concrete workers, pre-cut roof truss and wall framing workers, and floor and wall tilers.

"[People in the] industry are saying they want qualified people for a range of skills as opposed to just labourers or hammer hands," Te Paa says.

Industry forecasts for the next two or three years are upbeat, he says, but construction booms are inevitably followed by downturns. "We certainly are a rollercoaster industry."

In the downturns, people who have worked in the industry for some time leave, opening opportunities for younger workers.

But apprentices take the uncertain nature of the economy as a fact of life, Te Paa says.

At the moment record numbers of houses are being built - 30,000 housing permits are being issued a year, up from fewer than 20,000 four years ago.

"If it goes below 20,000 it is hard to hold on to people," Preston says.

"We have started some very preliminary talks with Government agencies about whether there is a way of being able to retain at least the apprentices in the system when the crash comes along."

Te Paa says the lateral thinking and problem-solving skills people learn in the industry stand them in good stead in the quiet times.

Karl Smit agrees, saying he loves the variety of his job.

"Nothing is ever the same. There are so many different sides to it and I like meeting that challenge."

He's not worrying about what's ahead, but instead is concentrating on the positive vibe of being in demand and knowing people need his skills.


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