YOUR INDUSTRY
APPRENTICESHIPS GROW CAREERS AND BUSINESSES Words by Adam Fleck : Primary ITO Sector Manager, Horticulture
Apprenticeships grow careers and businesses – and there has never been a better time to start an apprenticeship than now. That is because the government is covering the portion of fees that can be attributed to training that occurs between 1 July 2020 and 31 December 2022. This is known as Free Trades Training. Further, government is providing direct funding to employers to help cover the additional costs associated with training an apprentice on the job. This equates to $1,000 a month for the first year, and $500 a month for second year apprentices up until August 2022. This is called the Apprenticeship Boost and is available by application to the Ministry of Social Development.
Our apprenticeship programmes will provide the standards for the skills and expertise requirements to be trade qualified in the horticulture sector, and for our industry people to be valued and rewarded wherever they choose to be.
What is an Apprenticeship? The term apprenticeship means that the learning meets a range of requirements set by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA), and the Tertiary Education Commission. For example, our apprenticeships contain competency standards requiring that a learner must be able perform the task to obtain the standard.
The good news is that our industry has several apprenticeships to choose from. From pipfruit and kiwifruit to citrus and avocados in our Fruit Production apprenticeship. Tomatoes to cucumbers to lettuce and asparagus in our Indoor Crop Production apprenticeship. Broccoli, to yams and zucchini in our Outdoor Crop Production apprenticeship. Or packer, grader, dispatcher, coolstore operations supervisor in our Postharvest apprenticeship.
Adam Fleck on the Hydralada at National Horticulture Field Days 32 NZGROWER : JULY 2021
