“I was dragged out of home economics class and asked if I knew what a glazier did — two weeks later I'm starting an apprenticeship at Gisborne Glass. It's an opportunity I grabbed and picked up with two hands.
“Yes, I've been lucky on the way up. I've had some awesome mentors, and now it's time to start giving back.”
Decades later, he bought shares in the business and now he runs the shop.
“I'm coming up to 30 years in the game and I still love doing what I'm doing.”
Stu has always shared his advice with those who come to work at Gisborne Glass. But his work in schools started when the training organisation BCITO brought a group through his shop when they had a trade industry day.
“We went and set up a little demonstration down the back and created a bit of a competition. I talked with my guys about what we could do to inspire these kids who want to get into a trade or an apprenticeship.”
But that day also inspired Stu to get involved in the community, share his trade and give back.
When invited into a school Stu speaks in layman's terms so students understand.
“You gotta tell the kids how it is. You have to tell them not every day at work is a great day. But you gotta have bad days to make you appreciate the good days.
“We have to look at the younger kids today and inspire them to love what they do.”
Being money-smart is a constant theme he brings up with the kids . . . a message bred from Stu's hatred of debt.
“I've never wanted to be in debt — if I ever borrowed money from someone I would pay it back straight away.”
He often starts with a simple question to a class: “ Who wants to be a millionaire?”
A few hands pop up.
Then he asks how they are going to make that million dollars. The cheekier of the students say they are going to win Lotto but there are few good answers.
Next he asks: “Who wants to retire?”
That's when all of the hands go up and Stu makes his move, telling them:
“I'm no economist but in 40 to 50 years when these kids finish their working life the cost of living per year is probably going to be something like $100,000.
“With the average lifespan after retirement being 23 years, if you're going to retire and support yourself comfortably you're going to have to have over a million bucks.
“I tell the class you all have to be millionaires, and that might be scary but they have to learn how to be smart with their money.”
Even though Stu is the one who teaches new tradies about glass and speaks at schools, he is still learning himself.
“I've never had a woman apprentice, but that's another thing I have learned.”
A few years ago at a trade summit meeting, there was a talk promoting women in the trades. He says if they had asked him if he would take on and train women at his shop, he would have said “no”.
“Some of these pieces of glass weigh up to 300 kilos — it can be quite hard on the body.
“For that reason I sort of said ‘No, I'd rather have a strapping young lad for stuff like that'.”
He changed his mind after the summit.
“It totally changed my view of why I should have a woman in my workplace. They have stamina, attention to detail and by just having someone else different, it can help change the culture in a workplace.”
He does not have any female glaziers yet but knows young women have been getting into joinery and painting in the region.
Now Stu is looking to get a range of Gisborne trade businesses into training up the next generation.
“When I ask a lot of kids what they want to do when they leave school, I usually get a shrug of the shoulders and an answer of ‘I dunno'.”
Then Stu usually replies, “Good answer, because you know what? There is an opportunity waiting around the corner just for you and all you have to do is find it.”
He believes the region needs to work together to create the best opportunities for the next generation, and bring the best and brightest into the trades.
“We need to support work programmes like Gateway in the high schools and the job brokers at EIT.
“Local employers needing a future workforce need to create a bond by getting together and making our industries attractive to these kids — giving them a taste of what we do and getting them into our businesses to see how we operate.
“Send one to me, let me have them once a week for a month. Let them get an insight into what I do, learn a bit of a work ethic, have any questions answered and offer advice to them on what they can do to improve — then send them across the road to another employer and they can do the same.
“Send them to the timber merchants down the road, the spray painters, the plumber and the electrician.
“After a year at school with a four-week stint at each place, they might have 10 different places where they've actually seen and experienced work.
“The trades are crying out for more people to join them and the money is booming.
“We've got a housing crisis, and how are we going to build new houses? We're gonna need a bigger labour force.
“And you know what — there are more millionaire painters out there than there are millionaire teachers.”
