The young men enrolled in the current course at INTRANZ agree on one thing: The course gives them a head start.
Previous graduates are now employed by Ordnance Developments Ltd, GDM Group, Q-West Boat Builders and Mars Petcare locally, while others have been apprenticed to companies in South Taranaki, Palmerston North and beyond.
Former Wanganui High School student Daniel Thompson, 18, completed NCEA Levels 1-3 and said he thought about INTRANZ last year while he was still at school.
"At the end of the year, when I had nothing to do, school rang me up and said INTRANZ was doing a course and, if I wanted to do, I could go and have a look," Daniel said. "I did come here for a look. It is trades-based which is what I wanted to do so I made my mind up then."
Daniel is looking at a career as an automotive technician and that's what the course he's currently doing is getting him lined up for.
He's been doing work experience at Watkins Motors and Alpha Autos and said he was enjoying the the experience. Like the other young men on the course, he started late October last year and will finish in July. That's when he'll be job-hunting.
"The course is great because it gets you into work habits like turning up on time, having regular breaks and being focused for the whole work day.
"It sharpens your brain too. Since I've been here I've found myself thinking better. Even outside the course everything seems more ordered," Daniel said.
Dion Black, another 17-year-old who got his secondary schooling at WHS, is angling for a career in general engineering.
After gaining Level 1-2 in NCEA, he jumped at the chance to get onto the INTRANZ course. He's looking for skills in welding, grinding and working on the lathe. Like his father and brother he's into speedway, having raced ministocks since he was 12 and next season he'll be racing stockcars.
He got interested in the course when a workmate of his dad's told him about it.
"I really enjoy the course. I've learnt heaps of new things. I like the structure of things here and that fact it gets you ready for going into the workplace."
Jordan McDonald, 17, like the other two boys, went to WHS and earned NCEA Levels 1 and 2. He's doing general engineering on the current INTRANZ course.
Welding and working on the lathe are two areas he has enjoyed most in the training room, and those skills have seen him get work experience at Garmac Engineering.
As well as developing a strong work ethic he said the variety of tasks the students got to do on the course appealed. "It's not all in the workshop. There's the theory side as well," Jordan said.