BTA director Lawrance King with a group of Raukura's BTA students. Photo / Supplied
BTA director Lawrance King with a group of Raukura's BTA students. Photo / Supplied
Rotorua Boys High School trades students are helping build houses for people as part of a regional-first partnership with Kāinga Ora.
The school, Raukura, launched a building trades academy and an engineering trades academy this year, which principal Chris Grinter said was timely given the strong need for tradespeople.
"We increasingly see boys now moving through our school, who are exploring pathways other than university so there is demand for programmes like this," Grinter said in a statement.
"We hope to produce a pool of well-prepared and apprenticeship-ready, work-ready young men for the tradespeople of our city," he said.
Both courses received a strong uptake from students this year.
"We are very fortunate to have three qualified builders, a qualified plumber and an electrician on the staff," Grinter said.
As part of the building programme, students learn skills and gain experience while supporting the community by building homes for those who need them as part of a partnership with Kāinga Ora, formerly known as Housing New Zealand.
Rotorua Boys' High School principal Chris Grinter. Photo / NZME
Raukura was the first Bay of Plenty school to offer this programme, following in the footsteps of secondary schools and tertiary providers in Auckland, Northland and Hawke's Bay, according to Kāinga Ora.
Year 13 BTA student Te Kura Tawhara has been enjoying the practical side of his new schoolwork.
He said he wanted to be a builder when he left school and being part of this programme helped him to learn skills and gain experience that would help him pursue a career in the industry.
Leading the building academy is director Lawrance King with support from teacher Geordie Hemopo Gibson. Both were excited to be part of the programme.
"It's all about the kids as far as I'm concerned. They're getting an opportunity to be employed in a trade that's going to take them places," King said.
He believed the students would get a kick out of being able to show their family members the houses they helped build.
King has worked in the building industry for more than 30 years and in that time has been self-employed, worked as a maintenance technician for Lockwood Homes and built architectural houses as well as residential houses and commercial buildings.
Gibson, who did his apprenticeship working on high-end homes in Wellington, was living in Tauranga where he managed the Mount Maunganui Surf Life Saving Club's rebuild and worked in residential construction before coming to Raukura.
BTA teacher teacher Geordie Hemopo Gibson (left) and director Lawrance King. Photo / Supplied
"I'm looking forward to seeing the boys progress from the start and the look on their faces when they get to see a fully finished house when it leaves the driveway," he said.
Kāinga Ora programme director Nick Seymour said as a former tradie he was proud of the way the academy programmes had developed, and the ongoing partnership with the Ministry of Education and schools involved.
"It's great to see these pathways with our tradies of tomorrow, and working together we can contribute towards giving people a place to call home, while creating future opportunities for our young people," Seymour said.
Kāinga Ora Bay of Plenty regional director Darren Toy said the partnership was a great example of school and government working together in a positive and meaningful way.
"As well as this partnership being an exciting opportunity for students to gain lifelong skills, building these much-needed modern, warm and dry homes for local whānau and tamariki also helps contribute to building a stronger and more connected community."
The engineering academy will be led by director Mark Elers.
"I want to create the next tradesmen, help these boys get jobs, learn skills that they can use in the future so I've got a great opportunity to do that here," Elers said.
"It's a trade-based practical class where, by the end of the year, we want them to leave school and straight into apprenticeships.
"To get skills and competency in machinery and tools, that's what the industry's been yelling out for … there's a shortage in apprentices at the moment and we always want them to go straight in and be confident with the tools," Elers said.
Elers has been associated with Raukura since 1998 when his son attended the school. He has also coached basketball at the school.
"The excitement for me is that I get to be part of these kids' lives and maybe futures. I've done that through basketball teams here but these trades skills are something they can hold on to forever."
