April 19, 2015
Trades scheme seeking the magic
A Christchurch group is focusing on helping Maori who have done pre-trades training to go on and complete apprenticeships.
He Toki ki te Mahi Apprenticeship Training Trust was launched at Rehua Marae last week by Prime Minister John Key.
The trust involves Ngai Tahu, tertiary education providers Te Tapuae o Rehua and Canterbury Polytechnic Institute of Technology, and Hawkins Group.
Project facilitator Hemi Inia says more than 800 students have taken part on He Toki ki te Rika trades training since the Canterbury earthquakes.
He says the full apprenticeship is a four year commitment, and the trust is drawing on lessons from the old Department of Maori Affairs trades training programme.
"What we want to do is take the magic they had in terms of whanaungatanga that kept that group together and made it succesful, so we want to take that and put it among our apprentices in today’s context,"Mr Inia says.
He says the old trades training schemes were based in hostels, so the challenge today is to give similar support even though apprentices are more widely dispersed.
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