NRDA’s Vocational Coordinator, Ange coordinated a Civil Construction Tour as a part of the Education to Employment programme. Civil Contractors New Zealand Inc (CCNZ) got five great local businesses involved in the day. Nearly 20 students from local Nelson Tasman high schools got some helpful insights into the career pathways and different roles in these industries.
Edridge Contracting Ltd took us to the first site of interest – Bayview. High up on the hills of Atawhai (what a view!) students learnt about flattening sections, moving huge amounts of earth, roading, drainage, surveys, compaction, and testing. Some of the students climbed into some of the big machines on site to see how it feels from the driver’s seat.
At the next stop, Tasman Civil‘s Contract Manager, Anthony talked about the drainage project along Hastings Street. Students observed diggers in action and learnt about ‘3 waters’. One of the pipes was big enough to stand in! Anthony also highlighted the various aspects of sitework such as ensuring the heritage trees are looked after and maintaining the accessibility to houses.
Onto the Coastal View Retirement Village site, Nelson Marlborough Manager Hamish from Schick Civil Construction talked about roles and apprenticeships available. Students also met Josh, Drainage Apprentice, who said he enjoyed learning new things and how fun it is, working with the guys. Students learnt about the challenges of this type of development site – organisation and logistics, coordinating landscapers and builders.
At the next stop at the Salisbury Road Watermain site, Hamish from Fulton Hogan outlined health and safety, equipment and differences between sites. He took the students for a good walking tour of the site and spoke about his own career journey and the benefits of working for a company like Fulton Hogan.
The last stop at Bell’s Island Wastewater Treatment Plant, Jason from Nelmac explained what happens with the waste after you flush your toilet. You would be amazed how many goldfish show up out there! Jason also talked about various hazards, and about studying a Diploma in Wastewater. At the worksite, Treatment Project Manager Alastair and Operations & Engineering Manager Daryl talked about the different projects going on.
This eventful day created informative discussions around work experience opportunities, training and qualifications, apprenticeships and how to approach getting an awesome job with one of these great businesses in the future!
