(Article reposted with permission from Te Ahu a Turanga).
Pitiera ‘Pitz’ Wilson took a few minutes out of a busy day in Zone 2 to talk to TAat CHAT about the training that got him into the job as a driver with Goodmans.
“I’ve been working in roadworks since I got back from Australia. I already had a Class 2 and had been working in Wellington but I got sick of all the driving there and back. I was between jobs and Kiwi Can Do came up. They offered me more tickets. I wanted a Class 4 and my cousin said, ‘You’ve got the talent and the skills, why don’t you go and drive dumpers?’ So I thought, why not?
I was able to do the course in a day because of my existing qualifications, I’ve just had my 90-day review at Goodmans and it’s all good. I’ve got lots of hours – there’s more hours than you need. The people I work with are really good, people pass on their knowledge.
Kiwi Can Do have lots of courses and can place you in a job – it was easy to go through them, they have all the connections. I’d never driven dump trucks before and doing the first run up the hill was daunting, but they teach you what the machine can do. If people are looking for work, I’d say go for it. It didn’t cost me anything and now I’m doing this!”
Lynette Bailey is the engine behind the local Kiwi Can Do programme, and sums up what it’s all about: “Kiwi Can Do is an organisation that has a Ministry of Social Development contract to get people trained in programmes that lead to work in infrastructure and construction – whether it’s getting your learners tickets for driving heavy machinery, trucks or working in traffic management, or any one-off training you might need to get work.”
The only criteria for training is that people need to be on a Job Seeker Benefit, pass a drug test and be double vaccinated. Lynette is in contact with all the major civil projects in the region, including Ohakea and Ōtaki to North of Levin. “Whatever you want to be doing, come and talk to us because we can help in a lot of different ways.”.
To find out more about training through Kiwi Can Do, visit kiwi-can-do.co.nz or call 0800 523 9675.