Forging interesting careers

These former Materials Technology students at St Andrew’s are exploring a variety of interesting career paths.

Tim Duncan (OC 2019) Tim Duncan has always had a passion for making things, which prompted his decision to take Materials Technology (Woodwork) at St Andrew’s. He says the subject has prepared him well for his current, highly specialised work for an aircraft restoration company. “I was able to apply the skills I learnt in Materials Technology to my own projects, and also learnt the importance of discipline and the responsibility of working in a workshop.” He enjoyed numerous other aspects of the course, including gaining a deeper understanding of how wood works, and taking classroom knowledge and designs and converting them into something useful. “Mr Hamilton taught me all the way through and was a great teacher. He pushed me and my fellow students to strive for more than the minimum, to develop a passion for the subject, and a deeper understanding of how it works.” Tim is currently working on three signification restoration projects – ground-up rebuilds of Beech Staggerwing aircraft, built between 1933 and 1949. One was New Zealand’s first air ambulance, and another was used in Antarctica in 1940 by Admiral Richard Byrd. His future career goals are to become a Licensed Aircraft Engineer/Commercial Pilot and work in these fields.

Will Mace Cochrane (OC 2017)

Will Mace Cochrane is in his final year of a Bachelor of Forestry Science with Honours (BForSc) degree at the University of Canterbury and says taking Materials Technology (Metalwork) for several years at St Andrew’s proved invaluable to his studies. “Materials Technology was my favourite subject and provided the opportunity to plan, develop, and build a project. The skills I learnt, especially within the planning aspect, have significantly improved my capabilities to create high quality reports, understand client needs, and quantify timelines. This is important in forestry, which requires in-depth research and report writing to inform clients of environmental, social, and financial viability for their investments.”

He says he would ‘highly recommend’ that every student try Materials Technology at some point. “It provides a variety of skills not commonly taught in other subjects at school, which are important to any career path, no matter the direction one takes in tertiary studies.”

Will has accepted a graduate role with PF Olsen in 2023, and is looking forward to being part of the forest industry within New Zealand as it adapts to changes in environmental, social, and financial needs.

Jake Jackways (OC 2021)

Jake Jackways took Materials Technology as he was intrigued by the hands-on aspect of working with metal, and says it was a 'nice change' from Science and Mathematics subjects. “Being able to do basic things with metal such as welding, seemed an important skill to have moving forward. I always looked forward to the classes, as Mr Murphy was a fun teacher who made them enjoyable and was always there to help when you needed it.”

Along with the practical work in the workshop, Jake enjoyed the design process of the subject. “We had to come up with multiple designs, then narrow them down, and adjust them to fit our projects. Now that I am studying Engineering at the University of Canterbury, which looks at designing ways to solve problems in all aspects of life, I feel that Materials Technology provides a brief introduction into the design process that engineers have to go through. It gives you a good taste of some aspects, and touches on many others, without the Science and Mathematics involved.”

Once he graduates, Jake is keen to work as an engineer in a company and travel overseas to work to gain new experiences.