What a great day for local Nelson Tasman students and staff exploring the world of Civil Construction!
Ange from NRDA (in partnership with Civil Contractors NZ), organised a Civil Construction tour as a part of the Education to Employment programme. The career exploration day was a great success, as students from three local high schools came together for a busy day visiting sites in the region.
First stop was the Port Nelson Slipway site – Brendon from Fulton Hogan gave an overview of the sites and learnt about the different roles working on such a site. Then a quick activity in groups about hazards and how to avoid and reduce these.
While having morning tea break at the Centre of NZ, Anton and Dan from NMIT joined us and spoke about the NZ Diploma in Engineering (Civil). Dan was a second year student who is also working so it was great to hear his journey into the industry.
Our next stop showcased the impressive Nelson Water Treatment Plant, where Andrew from Fulton Hogan led an informative tour. Students gained a deeper understanding of the origins of our region’s water and the crucial measures taken to ensure its safety for consumption, courtesy of the plant’s cutting-edge filtration system installed in 2004.
Then it was onto the fascinating York Valley Landfill – Paul from Downer gave students a tour of the site and they learnt about what happens to all our rubbish and how that is managed.
After lunch the last stop for the day was York Valley Quarry. Chris, a Quarry Manager from Fulton Hogan shared his career journey and explained the opportunities available in this line of work and what’s involved. Students were impressed by the large machines working on site.
Overall, it was an excellent day for the students, who were given the unique opportunity to witness real-life jobs in action. They were inspired by the various job opportunities available in the civil construction industry and left with a deeper appreciation for the vital work carried out by the teams involved in keeping our communities safe and thriving.
