Kamo High Trades Academy students use skills to build canine homes

The team from left: Michelle Payne and Boston, Eligh Sayles, Tobey Gare, sitting is Jean-Paul Johnson, Mac Church, Shale Hamilton, director of trades Tammy Thorley and Jax Boyd with Lulu.

Thanks to a team of skilled Kamo High School students 10 dogs will now have new kennels to call home.

Students on the Trades Academy course used their building skills to make the kennels for the Ruakākā Dog Rescue Centre who will dish them out to needy canines.

Director of Trades Tammy Thorley said some of the 77 students, aged 15 to 18, on the Trades Academy course had already constructed one kennel as part of their work.

But when Thorley learned of Ruakākā Dog Rescue's need for more canine abodes she let her talented students know and they went to work, quickly constructing five kennels.

Trades Academy students from left, Lachlin Wood, Quinn Buckton, Isaac Towgood and Jax Boyd. In front with Lulu is Rayne Herewini. Photo/Supplied

Another five kennels were constructed and are about to be delivered this week.

"When it was explained to the students some of them changed from building chicken coops to kennels."

The academy is a new initiative this year with pre-apprenticeship training using the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation (BCITO) framework.

"This allows our more practical students to get ready for the work place in all sorts of trades from construction, to concreting, plumbing and becoming a sparky," Thorley said.

Ruakākā Dog Rescue workers Jax Boyd and Michelle Payne visited the school last week with their own dogs Lulu and six-month old Boston, who came from the rescue centre.

When they spotted a pig house being built they realised it would be the ideal whelping box for two dogs they had with 17 puppies.

So now the students are working on that project.

Student Destiny Thomas shows Lulu around the new canine homes. Photo/ Supplied

"The visit by the dogs made the students more aware of their construction and the final purpose. They looked more closely at ensuring the kennels were water tight and things like the making sure the screws were in tight and not sticking out," Thorley said.

The rescue centre workers had nothing but praise for the students and their professionally crafted kennels.

"These amazing students have built us kennels which will be of great help with the work we do. Thanks you so much to the students and teachers involved in this project, we are so grateful," Boyd said.

"I was very impressed ... they are quality kennels. The students are really motivated and it's great to se them involved in some community work."