Follow the track Newsletter July 2022

Follow the track Whaia te ara tereina

2022 - the year of school engagement

Kia ora, I hope you enjoy this month’s school newsletter. It offers a snapshot of the diverse range of activities available to students with Link Alliance. Like so many others, Link Alliance wants to give back to communities and enrich people’s lives, particularly those of our tamariki (children).

So far this year, Link Alliance has held public events, worked with school leavers through internship programmes, and hosted a number of school site visits.

I am proud of the team’s commitment towards sharing construction of the City Rail Link project with the wider community. Any school interested in learning more about CRL is encouraged to email communications@linkalliance.co.nz. The project helps students learn about STEM subjects and exposes rangatahi (youth) to various career opportunities through a range of skills development programmes. Learning about CRL also helps provide a sense of place, and understanding about community, culture, and environment.

People are at the heart of Link Alliance. Each day we come together to build a rail network people love to use. CRL is Aotearoa New Zealand’s first-ever underground rail system and largest-ever transport infrastructure project. Link Alliance is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s vibrant future.

Ngā manaakitanga (with best wishes)

Francois Dudouit Project Director Link Alliance

Underground internship site tour at Karanga a Hape Station (Karangahape)

Tamariki enjoying CRL visitor centre

Trying out Link Alliance virtual reality programmes during Techweek

Exploring CRL tech for Techweek

In May, Link Alliance welcomed students to fight fires in the world of virtual reality (VR), and learn more about how building information modelling (BIM), VR, and software programmes help design and build CRL.

Link Alliance hosted the interactive digital engineering event as part of Techweek NZ, an annual festival of technology and innovation. The event aimed to show students the many different ways tech is used on the CRL project.

As part of the event, attendees donned VR sets and tried to solve work-related hypothetical scenarios such as what to do if a fire broke out onsite. VR is used across the project including for health and safety training. Those who wanted to keep their feet firmly on the ground enjoyed a site perimeter walk of Maungawhau Station (Mt Eden) with a project engineer.

Laura, BIM manager who spoke at the event

said, “personally, I like working with students because they give us a fresh view.”

“Usually they're up-to-date with the latest products and tech news. Staying connected with students means we stay connected to the next generation of workers and can better understand future roles that may exist within an ever-changing industry.”

“I love what we’ve seen,” remarked one student. “I love how tech is applied in so many different ways across the project. It’s amazing.”

Virtual reality is a popular piece of technology that sparks interest for young and old alike. It is available for schools to use at CRL Visitor Centre, located in the Te Manawa building at 1 New North Road, Eden Terrace. The visitor centre is also open every Monday 11am1pm, every Thursday 4-6pm and on the first Saturday of each month from 1-3pm.

Techweek event at CRL visitor centre at Te Manawa building

Creating opportunities for rangatahi

Link Alliance delivers the Progressive Employment Programme (PEP) to give Māori and Pacific rangatahi (youth) aged between 16 to 24 exposure to the range of careers within the construction and infrastructure industries, and help navigate entry into the workforce.

PEP is a paid internship. In February, Link Alliance welcomed its fifth group of PEP interns. Six rangatahi were placed in roles across the project.

Through PEP, interns gain work experience and benefit from career coaching. The 16-week programme covers a range of topics, from

financial competency and money management, to public speaking and networking guidance.

A highlight for February’s intake of graduating interns was visiting Dress for Success where the all-female group selected an outfit they felt comfortable and empowered in for graduation.

Successful PEP interns can be offered full-time employment within Link Alliance following graduation.

For more information about PEP email socialoutcomes@linkalliance.co.nz

A story of success through PEP

Leuasa was an intern in Link Alliance’s Progressive Employment Programme (PEP). She made such an impression she now works for the project full-time as an administration assistant.

Leuasa first heard about the eighteen-week paid internship programme through a family member who works at Link Alliance. She had never really considered a career in the construction industry before but she had left high school, wasn’t studying, and was working at Krispy Kreme for her third year running. Krispy Kreme was good but the job and routine grew to be repetitive with no clear path for growth. Leuasa wanted more. She wanted to learn new things, see what she was capable of, step out of her comfort zone, and experience a professional work environment.

Spaces on the PEP are limited and the application process can be nerve-wracking. Those who are selected after an initial interview must pass a drug and alcohol test, a mandatory requirement for everyone who works at Link Alliance. After acing the interview and tests, the interns then come together. They can feel like complete strangers to each other at first, and some may unnecessarily worry that other interns may be ‘better’ than them.

It would have been easy to stay at Krispy Kreme but Leuasa made the choice to try something new and she hasn’t looked back.

Leuasa worked with the administration team in her internship role. She enjoyed being in the team because she learnt a lot in her role and got to try many different things.

She values what the internship taught her about herself. Through her role she grew more confident.

“I’m a good listener, pick up things fast, have

Leuasa at Te Wai Horotiu Station (Aotea)

good communication skills and I enjoy interacting with people. The PEP helped me recognise that.”

“I’ve also gained skills that I can apply to dancing,” she said.

“I love hip-hop. As a dancer, self-confidence is important. The internship role helped my self-belief, as well as how I hold myself and how I hold my ground.”

Leuasa’s advice to future PEP interns is to give everything a go. “Take every opportunity you can to learn something new, even if you are sure you won’t like it or it just isn’t for you.”

Leuasa also encourages people not to be afraid, or quiet, and to speak up. This is made easier, she says, because of the support Link Alliance team members provide. “There’s a great support system. Everyone is so nice.”

Leuasa believes what makes PEP special is the range of career opportunities interns are exposed to, what they can learn in their roles, and what they are able to try. Having never considered working in the construction industry prior to her internship, Leuasa now has a new appreciation for the number of people and range of skills that are involved to create incredible things.

Leuasa enjoys the cultural diversity within an organisation the size of Link Alliance and as much as she loves South Auckland where she lives, Leuasa enjoys working in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s city centre. She recognises the value in change and saying ‘yes’ to things that help her grow as a person and within her career. She encourages other rangatahi, particularly wāhine to consider applying if they are at a crossroads in their life and are looking for something positive to try.

High-vis is the new black

In June, Te Wai Horotiu Station (Aotea) welcomed Year 12 and 13 students from Avondale College and Waiuku College onto site as part of the Connexis Girls with Hi-Vis programme.

This initiative helps expose wāhine (women) to careers in the construction industry. One of the biggest challenges facing the sector is a shortage of people, particularly wāhine. By encouraging females into construction roles, we help strengthen the breadth, quality, and diversity of the workforce.

The group met on level eight of the station’s main office building, which boasts sweeping views of the site directly below. The students were blown-away by what they saw.

“Being with the girls was a great reminder of why I am grateful to be on this job,” said Roseanne, a project engineer who led the site tour alongside Avelina, a fellow engineer.

“The students were amazed at the size and scale of the project. Being onsite also gave our visitors a first-hand insight to just how many people need to work together to complete tasks safely on a project as large as CRL.”

The girls watched as cranes delivered materials to people below ground. Unable to see where items were being unloaded, crane operators relied on spotters to ensure supplies made it safely to where they were meant to go.

“That crane operator is so high up,” exclaimed one student. “Everyone around him works for him to make sure he has what he needs. I reckon he’s the boss of the site,” she joked much to Garry, the site supervisor’s bemusement.

Feigning a slightly bruised ego, Garry was proud of the immediate positive impact the visit had on students.

That same student left expressing aspirations to be a crane operator. Another would like to like

to apply for a Link Alliance internship.

A third student went away wanting to know more about health and safety career pathways after the group coincidentally came across a routine health and safety exercise drill.

Bruce, the dummy used for training, was being lifted to safety after working below street level and ‘injuring’ his back. Students took great delight watching how quickly the team could get Bruce safely above ground and on his way to ‘hospital’.

“If I could give one piece of advice,” Roseanne told the students, “it would be to remain open to the possibilty”.

“I studied chemical process engineering”, she said. “I never imagined working as a civil engineer but now my time in this role is something I will always treasure.”

Avelina agreed adding, “a career in construction gives so much progression”.

She encouraged anyone interested in a diverse and stimulating career, to “just start somewhere”.

“I began as an intern,” she said. “I moved to a graduate role, and now I’m a site engineer”.

“It’s nothing like I expected and even more than I could imagine.”