Trust apprenticeship opens door to a plumb career

Plumbing apprentice Ford Burgess. Photo / Supplied

The Apprenticeship Training Trust is a group training organisation that employs around 300 apprentices. The apprentices are seconded to local host employers with whom they gain practical skills and work experience.

As well as being assessed on-the-job, apprentices do block courses and correspondence at polytechnics. However, from September, new apprentices will be trained through the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Industry Training Organisation (PGDRITO), thus standardising ATT training.

The apprentice, trust and employer sign a fixed-term individual employment agreement before training begins. While based with a host employer, apprentices can be moved to other tradespeople if they need to gain experience in an area not covered by their usual employer.

Applicants need a written reference from a plumber that proves they've done a week's work experience. They also need a restricted driver's licence - preferably for a manual vehicle.

However, not all plumbing apprentices enter trust apprenticeship agreements and employers can still employ apprentices themselves.

APPRENTICE

Ford Burgess, 33
Plumber at Tauranga Hardware & Plumbing
Qualified in November 2008

I previously worked as a qualified butcher for 10 years and a Navy chef for three years. I was working as a butcher when I decided I wanted to push my boundaries, so I put an ad in the paper asking for an adult apprenticeship. Tauranga Hardware were also advertising for an apprentice and I applied.

I became employed by the Apprenticeship Training Trust. Tauranga Hardware & Plumbing was my host employer and I did off-job training through Unitec.

The apprenticeship takes 8000 hours - about four years - and covers plumbing and gas fitting. Gasfitting is more technical than plumbing and involves codes, regulations, testing methods and technical operations of appliances.

Plumbing is more hands-on and you use skills such as soldering and braising. You learn how to interpret plans and create products out of specific materials.

There are 21 correspondence modules, each with six assessments. Topics include roofing, sheet metal development, foul water, heated water systems and domestic and industrial gas supplies. I also learned the relevant trade science needed for every day tasks in the work place.

We did two weeks of block courses each year for three years where we undertook practical projects using techniques taught on previous courses or in our workplace. Projects included welding, flashings, roofing and installing sanitary fixtures like toilets, basins and showers. We also had to demonstrate understanding of codes and standards for installations.

I found the training about confined spaces and working with heights was the most beneficial because it was practical and relevant to the daily working environment. I also enjoyed the welding courses.

I am also fascinated by gas fitting. Working with gas involves electronics and problem solving; plumbing is more about cutting and measuring.

I did find some skills and techniques taught at tech irrelevant in today's workplace because the ever-changing technology and range of plumbing products available off the shelf means we no longer have to make them in workshops.

To become a registered plumber, you need to successfully complete your national certificate and then sit the Plumbing Gasfitting and Drainlayers Registration Board registration exams.

You can sit the registration exams during your apprenticeship if you want. I did the plumbing exam in my first year and the gas fitting exam in my second year. Exams are in June or November and you need a minimum of 60 per cent to pass.

After that you need two years plumbing experience before you can sit craftsman exams, which include business papers and plumbing and gas fitting papers. That is the next step for me because it opens up opportunities in plumbing further down the track.

EMPLOYER

Andrew McCarthy
Operations manager
Tauranga Hardware & Plumbing

Too many people still think plumbers just unblock drains and toilets. In fact we also deal in the latest technologies, such as solar, heat pumps, hot water cylinders and inner flow technology (waste water). Then there is the gas side, which involves a lot of technical and electronic work.

These days plumbing is quite specific and there can be separate contracts for drainlaying, spouting and roofing.

We employ around 20 plumbers and drainlayers, including three apprentices.

We were keen to employ Ford because he was mature and confident and had previous employment experience.

Over this apprenticeship Ford developed strong technical knowledge and others here often asked his opinion on technical issues. He has also shown huge commitment to plumbing, winning various apprentice awards.

The training helps apprentices develop a good work ethic, as well as honing their problem solving and time management skills.

TRAINING PLACE

* Qualification: National Certificate in Plumbing and Gasfitting (Level 4).
* Where: Apprenticeship Training Trust (ATT).
* Contact:0800 18 78 78; info@att.org.nz; www.att.org.nz
* Apprenticeship length: 3 to 4 years.
* Course costs: 2009 Unitec enrolment fees about $1311 for Level 1, $1534 for Level 2 and $1976 for Level 3 (apprentices are eligible for student loans). Some host employers pay training fees.
* Trainee starting hourly rates: Minimum $10 per hour. Newly qualified $22-$24 per hour.