Inspiring diversity in trades

Heremaia Murray is a firm believer in hiring and training apprentices of all ethnicities and dedicating resources to supporting diversity in the trades.

“Most of my apprentices are Ma¯ ori or Pasifika, but I hire skilled people from all backgrounds and ethnicities,” says the director of Katikati business HDS Frame and Truss.

It comes as building and construction training provider BCITO had an “astonishing” increase in the number of Pasifika apprentices from 920 in December to 1700 in March.

Murray undertook a Certificate in Construction Trades supervisor course at BCITO in 2017 to improve his managerial skills and help develop his apprentices’ careers.

“It provided me with a sound understanding of why apprentices are useful for delivering results. By investing in them now, I’m creating a skilled and loyal worker who understands how my business operates.”

BCITO, a division of Te Pu¯ kenga Work Based Learning, was also committed to increasing the number of Ma¯ ori and Pasifika in the sector.

The training provider has hired a principal adviser for Ma¯ ori and Pasifika, is upskilling the crosscultural capability of its training advisers, and developed tailored recruitment initiatives.

Director Jason Hungerford said he was pleased with the organisation’s work to encourage diverse groups of people to undertake apprenticeships.

“We continue to see increasing rates of Ma¯ ori and Pasifika rangatahi taking on apprenticeships. We have seen an astonishing increase in the number of Pasifika apprentices, which increased from 920 in December 2020 to over 1700 in March 2022. It shows our strategies are working.”

Twenty per cent of BCITO learners supported by the Targeted Training and Apprenticeships Fund are Ma¯ ori and 9 per cent Pasifika.

— Content supplied by BCITO