Sam Gavin with carpentry graduate Malachi Lewis who has joined the team at ABC Designer Ltd.
ABC Designer Ltd owner Sam Gavin expects a lot from his apprentices.
“All of my apprentices have been from EIT. They get good background knowledge and then it comes down to individuals and what they do with that.
I’m a draftsman as well, so we’re a one-stop shop and I give my apprentices more responsibility than others might.”
An apprentice eager to rise to this challenge is 28 year-old Malachi Lewis, who joined ABC last December having completed his Certificate in Carpentry at EIT.
“When I was 18 I worked in a furniture factory, and wanted to get into the building industry but couldn’t find anything. It wasn’t until I went to EIT that I found the career path I wanted.”
It was great to start out in building with knowledge of materials, calculations and how to safely use tools, says Malachi.
“I enjoy all of it – building has a lot of variety and it can take you around the world. Building something then looking back at it gives me a good feeling, and Sam’s been good to me from the start.”
“It wasn’t until I went to EIT that I found the career path I wanted.”
Jonathan Wilkie is going from strength to strength according to Universal Engineering company director Phil Matthews.
As a young person who loved working with his hands, Jonathan Wilkie got off to a flying start at Universal Engineering.
He got a taste for engineering at Universal as part of Gisborne Boys High School’s Gateway programme in year 11. He began his National Certificate in Mechanical Engineering at EIT the following year. Jonathan is turning into a really competent tradesperson, says Universal Engineering company director Phil Matthews.
“EIT turns out really high quality apprentices. He’s got good attitude and once he has his trade I think he’ll go a long way in the industry. We pride ourselves on doing everything, from small jobbing work to large mechanical design and build projects. He’s been doing a lot of heavy engineering but he also has the ability to turn his hand to lighter architectural work.”
Now 20, Jonathan is relishing the learning journey that has opened up to him. “I’ve always been a hands-on person, mucking around building stuff at home. There’s a lot of variety at Universal Engineering and you never stop learning in a trade – there are always new tricks to learn.”
““EIT’s programme was a good balance of theory and practical.”
From mucking around with cars to working on trucks via EIT – Wiremu Raihania with Williams & Wilshier service supervisor Hanan Stevens.
Study at EIT gave Wiremu Raihania the knowledge to start his career as a diesel mechanic and being keen did the rest, says Williams & Wilshier service supervisor Hanan Stevens.
“Wiremu has worked here full-time since just before Christmas. He worked one day a week initially to learn, then Saturdays and then holidays. He was enthusiastic and he wanted to get into it, and that’s what we look for.”
Williams & Wilshier, a Rotorua-based forestry trucking company has 26 trucks and 10 owner-drivers on the East Coast region alone, and there is a huge demand for diesel mechanics, says Hanan.
With a history of “mucking around with cars” at home in Tokomaru Bay, Wiremu (27) came to talk to EIT tutors about turning his hobby into a career and so he enrolled in the National Certificate in Motor Industry.
“The programme definitely got me ready to work, and reduced my apprenticeship time by 30 percent. I went straight from the course to here – the job’s good, the pay’s good.”
“The tutors have great contacts in the industry so they helped me get the job.”