Four Te Kauwhata College students recently got to try on a possible future career recently through the Construction Plus Gateway Work Experience programme. The programme is run by Kāinga Ora in partnership with their build partners and local schools. The aim is to bring education, training and employment opportunities to local communities impacted by development – especially young people who may want to build a career in construction.

The four students who took part in the work experience programme were selected with help from the Construction Plus programme manager and the school gateway coordinators. After a chat with the build partners they all seemed like keen candidates who would enjoy the work and learn from the experience. They visited Lakeside where the development team showed them the scope of the work involved in large scale projects such as these.

After the site visit, each student was assigned to a building company – Finesse, Cambridge Homes, Callavate and Golden Homes all took part – to get some real, on-the-job insights into what it’s like to work in construction. During the work experience, which takes place over the school term, the gateway coordinators monitored their progress and kept in communication with them and the build partners. The students and builders were all happy with the way the programme went.

The students were invited to an award morning tea on the 29th of June 2023 at the Lakeside information centre to celebrate completing their work experience.

Construction Plus Manager, Nigel Chandra, says, "The positive feedback from the community has been huge. It’s a first for this small community. Two of the boys are already in conversations about working during the school holidays and the possibility of that becoming full-time employment when they finish school at the end of the year."

Construction Plus is designed to connect young people into training and employment opportunities and provide continued support once they are there. 

“The Construction Plus programme is part of an ecosystem of workforce and skills development initiatives across Kāinga Ora that support increasing capability in the community and industry growth”, says Nigel.