NZ Welding School Floats Work Experience Scheme
August 2010
Welding students at the New Zealand Welding School workshop in Papakura not only see the daily progress on the building of a 7.2 metre Scott Robson designed aluminium boat, but after graduation selected students can work on it too.
The NZ Welding School was formed in 1999 and delivers welding training in Rotorua and Papakura, and Computer Aided Design training from its Rotorua Design School. The school also provides customised welding training for industry and a testing facility for industry welders.
Programmes are practical and tradesman tutors create an environment simulating employment in the engineering industry. Students are provided with quality welding training and learn essential fabrication skills. They develop positive work attitudes, good timekeeping skills and a sense of teamwork and co-operation. Students graduate with safety, welding, drawing and engineering unit standards and have the opportunity of sitting industry welding tickets.
The school’s motto is “To train you to be all that you can be”, and in its years of operation has helped hundreds of students into jobs and worthwhile futures through its training programmes. However, those students who don’t have industry experience often struggle getting their first job, as employers are reluctant to take on an untried employee. To overcome this, a workshop has been set up inside the school offering short-term work experience to selected graduate students.
The first workshop project, which is ongoing, involves cutting and preparation of steel for both welding school branches. However, the boat project is a more challenging and exciting opportunity, and offers students a potential staircase to employment in aluminium boatbuilding.
Construction is under the supervision of Welding School Workshop Manager Johan Smal. “It’s a real incentive for students,” says Johan. “While they are training they only have to look up to see where they might be working next.” The project is supported by NALCO (National Aluminium Ltd), who are very supportive of the project, supplying the metal sheets and extrusions needed, and also providing the school with discounted off-cut aluminium for students to practise welding.
Over time, more students will be employed on similar ventures allowing them to build on the skills developed in their training programme and providing valuable work experience as a stepping stone to their next job.