Got a Trade? Got it Made!

Hon Louise Upston
Associate Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment
21 August 2017

Got a Trade? Got it Made!

Trades training and apprenticeships are in the spotlight this week as Associate Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Louise Upston launches Got a Trade? Got it Made! Week in Wellington today.

Got a Trade? Got it Made! Week aims to raise awareness of the training and career opportunities New Zealand’s trades and services industry can offer.

“With national construction experiencing exponential growth, and primary industries, tourism and services sector booming, it’s now more important than ever to get more young people into trades,” Ms Upston said.

“Matching up the skills pipeline is an absolute priority for me as Minister. We’ve got thousands of jobs becoming available every month, and I’ve been working with educators, employers and young people for a while now to make sure they are all talking to each other, ensuring our young people have access to this information and are setting themselves on the right life-long pathways for a successful future.

“Got a Trade? Got it Made! has done some great work over the past few years, promoting trades and services as a first career choice with young people, whānau and career influencers like teachers. Now is the time to build on this.

“These jobs are some of the highest-paying opportunities available and we should absolutely be communicating this to both parents and young people. They can take a tertiary route and take on a student loan, or, they could purse an apprenticeship and be on a good salary in a few years with no student loan.”

According to MBIE’s Future Demand for Construction Workers, around 49,000 more people will be needed in construction-related occupations in the next five years, taking the total to over 539,000. By 2025, an additional 15,100 workers with formal post-school qualifications will be needed in primary industries - a 30 per cent increase on the current workforce.

Service industries make up a large proportion of our economy and it is forecast the sector will create 54,000 new jobs over the next five years.

“Earlier this year we announced a further $7 million over four years to support industry training on top of the additional Budget 2016 funding of $14.4 million.

“Apprenticeships are not just an alternative career choice for young people, they are critical for our economy and offer fantastic earning potential.

“We need to work together to help young people understand that apprenticeships and on the job training are a great way to gain the skills needed for lifelong success,” Ms Upston says.

For more information on the campaign visit:http://gotatrade.co.nz/

ENDS

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