Wellington woman who's loving carpentry job urges others to consider trades career amid Covid-19 upheaval

May 20, 2020

The lockdown has forced many businesses to close and prompted some workers to consider their career choices.

The lockdown has forced many businesses to close and prompted some workers to consider their career choices.

But fear not, there is a plan and part of it is the $1.6 billion Trades and Apprenticeships Training Package announced at last week's Budget.

Training for the trades is one of the Government’s aims to provide new opportunities for New Zealanders of all ages and stages.

Before Covid-19 spread through the country, 34-year-old Victoria Mitchell made the career switch from cleaning to carpentry. 

“Before I was an apprentice, I used to run a cleaning business around Wellington and now I'm in my second year as a carpentry apprentice."

The Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation (BCITO) says the Government’s cash injection has helped to solidify that free trades courses can help support those out of work. 

“It's a huge confidence boost for our industry and when the economy recovers, we need them more than ever, says BCITO chief executive Warwick Quinn. 

“Normally construction industry looks overseas to fill that void which will be difficult in these times so this is a support mechanism to help us do better.” 

He says that many new employees will have transferable skills like good communication which they can bring to their new role in the trades industry. 

“There’s two sides, the technical side which you can learn on the job and the side that is generic. The majority of employers want you to be able to communicate as they can teach you the technical skills.”

As a single mum of two boys, Ms Mitchell says she had always dreamed of building a family home. 

Wanting something more challenging on a day-to-day basis, she was driven to the idea of joining the industry and is looking at building her dream house. 

Whether you have lost your job or just feel the time is right for change, Victoria Mitchell has some sage advice for those thinking about trades. 

“It's a really interesting type of career, whatever you're learning on site you can take home with you. It's win-win." 


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