EIT is responding to a shortage of plumbers and gas fitters in Hawke's Bay's with a pre-trades programme that saw all nine of 2016's graduates securing jobs in the industry.
Grayson Allen, president of Hawke's Bay Master Plumbers Association, says there's a huge shortage of qualified tradesmen and apprentices in all trades nationwide and that was particularly evident in Auckland and Christchurch.
"But we're also seeing a big shortage in Hawke's Bay and that's particularly true for plumbing and gas fitting," he said.
Allen pointed to retiring baby boomer business owners and a reluctance by the region's mainly small operators to absorb the cost of training in a competitive environment as reasons for the shortfall.
"They want their staff to hit the ground running, to be able to make money off them straight away. For most people in training, it will take them 18-24 months to break even. Prior to that they're a cost on the business."