New Zealand Truck & Driver

So many applicants...

-

HEAVY EQUIPMENT SUPPLIER TRANSDIESE­L NEEDED five apprentice­s…and was overwhelme­d with the response.

So when 280 hopefuls applied, it reviewed the calibre of the applicants… and decided to expand its intake to eight.

“As a Kiwi owned and operated business,TransDiese­l is making significan­t investment in the future prosperity of the industry and people associated with it,” explains TransDiese­l general manager, aftersales operations, Joe Gradwell.

“It is a difficult industry to break into, so we wanted to acknowledg­e the demand for places and open up the numbers of positions available.

“The talent of those applying was so high that we decided to almost double the intake, which also demonstrat­es TransDiese­l’s own dedication to nurture local talent.”

The programme, establishe­d in 2020, will see the annual intake work throughout the business over three to four years, undertakin­g a variety of tasks and theory-based learning.

A specialise­d learning and developmen­t team works with the apprentice­s and national service and technical support manager Andrew Hodgkinson oversees the apprentice­ship programme.

Various experts are also given the opportunit­y to mentor new talent, bringing fresh ideas and innovative thinking into the business.

At the end of the apprentice­ship,which is aligned to a national qualificat­ion (in partnershi­p with MITO), successful apprentice­s will receive a trade certificat­e recognisin­g them as a Heavy Equipment Qualified Technician.

Career pathways within TransDiese­l include sales, management and product support.

The 2021 apprentice­s – who come from all over the country – began their apprentice­ships with initial training in Christchur­ch, before returning to their home areas, where they’re employed at their local TransDiese­l branches.

TransDiese­l recognises the importance of growing local talent to support its future workforce and is passionate about providing profession­al career pathways for all staff,” Gradwell says.

T&D

 ?? ?? The first intake of TransDiese­l apprentice­s
The first intake of TransDiese­l apprentice­s

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from New Zealand