Jack of all trades, master of some

Brendon Robinson says every day is different. Photo / NZ Motor Industry Training Organisation

The National Certificate in Motor Industry (Coachbuilding) is the apprenticeship qualification required to become a qualified coachbuilder.

There are three strands to the coachbuilding apprenticeship: passenger service vehicles, commercial vehicles and motor homes and caravans.

Most of the practical skills are learned on the job through employers and supervisors. Theory is covered through assignments.

Apprentices are entitled to up to 80 hours off-job training every year to gain practical skills that may not be practised in their workplace and to get help with theory work. Off-job training is provided through night classes, block courses, or day-release courses.

Wannabe apprentices need to find an employer willing to take them on as full-time apprentices and oversee their training.

THE APPRENTICE

Brendon Robinson, 19
* Wade Group Ltd apprentice coachbuilder
* Pay: Apprentices start on around $11.50 per hour depending on employer. Wades Group pays fully qualified coachbuilders $18 to $25 per hour.

I am in the third year of my coachbuilding apprenticeship with Wade Group. It takes up to four years to finish.

Wade Group makes customised vehicles such as ambulances and horse coaches. They are great to build because there is no production line; we start from scratch.

I initially thought of doing an automotive apprenticeship but then I saw the ad for this. My girlfriend's dad used to work here and he told me all about it and it sounded really good.

I did a six-month panelbeating and paint pre-trade course at Wintec first. I didn't have to do the course to get the apprenticeship but it helped me make the decision to do coachbuilding rather than automotive.

I'm learning heaps with coachbuilding; fabrication of sheet metal, cutting and trimming fibreglass, interpreting drawings and plans, use of glues, measurement for panels and components and building of frames, doors, roofs and cabinetry. I also help with the plumbing and electrical work.

I really enjoy hands-on work. The best thing I have worked on so far has been a 13m semi-trailer race transporter. I worked on it from the building of the chassis to the exterior and interior fit-out. These transporters can hold four V8 super cars on two tiers at the back with accommodation in the gooseneck, including an en suite, full cooking facilities, TVs; everything! It took four to five months to build and there was something different to do every day.

We work through unit standards in booklets on everything from fibreglass and fitting windows to folding steel, welding and the use of different glues. I'd spend one or two hours every two or three nights a week on the booklets, and then we all do half an hour after work on Mondays with the in-house assessor.

Once we complete a booklet, it is sent away to be marked and then we sit a test supervised by our in-house assessor. After that Denis [workshop manager] signs off the practical part, but only if he thinks we're up to scratch.

I pay a portion of my wage towards my training costs which is partially subsidised by the company.

THE EMPLOYER

Denis Reilly
* Wade Group Ltd workshop manager

We specialise in custom-built, state-of-the-art semi-trailers and transporters for the motor race and horse industries. We also build vehicles for ambulance services.

We have 20 staff including four apprentices. A lot of people think we work like a production line, but it is much more varied and detailed than that. It takes about three months - around 2000 hours - to build a horse coach with a team of four working on it continuously. The only thing we don't do is upholstery.

Brendon was recommended by someone who'd worked here and he sounded like the sort of guy I was looking for. It was a bonus he'd done a pre-apprenticeship because it showed his willingness to invest in his future and learn. It also showed he had good hand skills and could think on his feet, which made him more valuable than someone straight from school.

Coachbuilding is hands-on so we want the kind of guy who likes to tinker with his car, build a go-cart in the shed or pulls things apart to see how it all ticks. You need to understand maths because you have to be able to work out areas and volumes for tanks and understand measurements.

Our apprentices are able to learn almost everything they need for their apprenticeship, including gasfitting and cabinetry. They take turns helping our electrician with the pre-wiring work and learn how to plumb water tanks, showers and kitchens.

Not all employers offer this variety, but there are courses at Wintec for apprentices that need off-job training.

Once a week our in-house assessor spends half an hour with the apprentices to keep them on track with their study. Some guys used to find it hard to put in the study time but now we tie pay increases into the credits they pass, as well as the hours they do.

You can't underestimate the enjoyment guys get out of this work. It is great to build and design one-offs. It is never mundane or dead-end.

TRAINING PLACE

Qualification: National Certificate in Motor Industry (Coachbuilding)
Where: NZ Motor Industry Training Organisation (MITO)
Contact: 0800 88 21 21 or (04) 494 0005, info@mito.org.nz, www.mito.org.nz
Entry requirements: Prefer minimum three years secondary education. Useful subjects include English, maths and workshop technology.
Annual training fee: $858.75 (GST inclusive)FAR-REACHING: Brendon Robinson says every day is different.