New Auckland campus for up to 400 trades trainees to aid building boom

Ōrākei Marae Trust head Wyllis Maihi greeted Building and Construction Minister Jenny Salesa at the opening of NZMA's new trades campus. Photo supplied

A leading private training provider has opened a new trades campus in Auckland to help meet a national shortage of skilled construction workers.

New Zealand Management Academies (NZMA) has refurbished an 8000sq m former Noel Leeming clearance centre at 807 Great South Rd, Mt Wellington, to cater for 350 to 400 trades trainees.

It will offer training in construction, electrical engineering, painting and plastering, plumbing, gas fitting and drain laying, and Youth Guarantee courses.

Building and Construction Minister Jenny Salesa told an opening ceremony today that there would be high demand for the trainees.

"I look forward to seeing more Pacific and Māori trades people graduate from here," she said.

NZMA chief executive Mark Worsop said the new campus would be "an important training hub in Auckland".

"We're working closely with construction industry companies to place our graduates in sustainable employment," he said.

New Zealand is forecast to need around 56,000 new construction workers by 2022, with approximately half of that demand in Auckland.

NZMA has about 3500 trainees nationally and has been owned since 2014 by ACG Education, formerly Academic Colleges Group.