INDUSTRY TRAINING GRADUATIONS

Public recognition of hard earned vocational qualifications is finally a reality with graduations for Industry Trainees now happening from the far north to the deep south. “And about time too,” is what many people are saying to this latest Mayors Taskforce for Jobs initiative.

Working in collaboration with the Industry Training Organisations, many Mayors are organising graduation ceremonies for apprentices and industry trainees. “This is a very tangible way of recognising the real worth to the community and country of industry training and the employers’ contribution to Trade Training,” says Nelson Mayor and Taskforce Chair, Paul Matheson. “Most importantly, it is recognition for the good effort and hard work industry trainees put into achieving their qualifications. Our trades and young people are our future and the MTFJ is determined to support their endeavours.”

The Mayors Taskforce Industry Training Graduations began in Dunedin in 2003 and have now spread throughout the country. By the end of this year there will have been 21 graduations involving 43 Local Authorities throughout the country. It is hoped that by the end of 2007 all regions in New Zealand will have an Industry Training Graduation and all 73 Mayors will be actively involved.

Dale Williams, Mayor of Otorohanga is a qualified motorcycle mechanic and remembers well being totally under-whelmed when, after 4 years of hard work he received a somewhat crinkled certificate through the post. He was therefore absolutely delighted to host a graduation in March this year and to give the industry trainees in his area some well deserved public recognition of their achievement.

With the exponential growth of the graduations, it became apparent in 2005 that some coordination of these events at a national level was needed. Funding for a National Coordinator position was received from the SkillNZ Campaign and Sally Gray took up the position in September 2005. Sally’s role is to encourage Mayors to host graduations, to provide advice, guidance and support for the event managers, and to liaise with the Industry Training Organisations.

Most of the Industry Training Organisations are very supportive of the graduations and work with the National Coordinator and Event Managers to ensure all their potential graduates are invited to attend. Continued support and collaboration with the Industry Training Organisations is vital to the success of the graduations.

Along with the trainees, the employers who put considerable time and effort into the training also deserve to be recognised for their commitment to training the future workforce. The graduations are an excellent vehicle for doing this.

For more information on Industry Training Graduations please contact:

Mrs Sally Gray
National Co-ordinator, Industry Training Graduations
425 High Street
MOTUEKA
P: +64 3 528 6295
M: +64 27 453 1002
E: s.gray@paradise.net.nz

2010 Graduation Schedule