Seventeen-year-old James Reid dreams of being a builder after high school.
It’s a process the year 12 student has been working towards through Ashburton College’s trades experience course.
It involves learning skills put into practice with work experience.
“I’m doing trades this year, so I’m off on work experience with CWS Construction. They basically help you learn what building is,” James said.
“Some companies might give you apprenticeships if they like what you do.”
Next year his skills will be further advanced with a new building construction pathway planned at the school for students passionate about working in the industry.
It will see year 13 students, under the guidance of a qualified builder, build two, two-bedroom houses as their course project.
They will be presold to fund the work.
James said the pathway would help “boost my confidence in building and I’ll hopefully go on after year 13 and get an apprenticeship.”
He said he was looking forward to next year, helping others and learning how to build a house from start to finish.
Principal Simon Coleman said the end products would be two, good-quality, two-bedroom houses which would give students practical know-how, but also experience in teamwork, responsibility and perseverance.
The houses could be used for farm workers, as a granny flat, office block or a holiday home on a block of land.
Coleman said the college had been working with Ashburton District Council on consents, and Fowler Homes and the Master Builders Association on the pathway programme.
It would see 18-20 students, split into two teams, guided by a yet-to-be-confirmed builder.
Each team would build a two-bedroom house
A work area was being set up at the back of the college, near the technology block.
“We are getting it set up to be able to build two, two-bedroom houses starting from next year.
Coleman said the construction pathway will initially be for year 13 students who have a passion for the building industry and associated trades, then in subsequent years include year 12 and 13s.
“Our students get the exposure (to the work in real industry practice) and also our businesses are going to get students that are really passionate about what they are going to be doing.”
Coleman said the concept would give students’ skills and support local businesses employing students with pre-trade knowledge, such as scaffolding, roofing, plastering, electrical and joinery.
It would be a comprehensive overview of the wider industry.
Fowler Homes would supply a building plan, with each house about 75 to 80sqm.
Students would work on-site a number of hours a week and do pre-trade book work on the BCITO Micro-Credential, worth 39 credits.
It was a significant head start toward a future apprenticeship or career in the trades, he said.
“The hope is within one year we will have two that will be able to be off the ground and relocated.”
“The aim is to give a really good quality finished home, so we want to presell the houses to actually start the build.”
Coleman would like to hear from interested parties keen to pre-purchase a house, and people interested in being involved either as employers when students finished, or to give their time.
He can be contacted via email at [email protected]
“Clients might come to us and say they want a certain build and then we would be able to adapt for that, but we tried to do something that would be marketable, and people would be interested in.”
