Editorial: Trades vital to nation

As a child I remember my grandfather saying to me "When you grow up make sure you have a trade behind you". Wise words back in those days and it appears to be the same now.

My grandfather was a carpenter by trade and it was something he did for most of his adult life. He said it didn't matter what you did later on in life; whether it was to become a company director or race cars. He believed if times got tough, you could fall back on your trade.

When I left school, I did a Maori Trade Training scheme in New Plymouth for a year, before completing my apprenticeship at Tasman Pulp and Paper in Kawerau.

On Monday, Labour Party deputy leader Grant Robertson and tertiary spokeswoman Megan Woods visited Construction and Trade Training on Pererika St. It's an institution which trains those interested in taking up a trade.

Mr Robertson and Ms Woods are touring the regions to find out what opportunities are in place for New Zealanders to gain trade training.

The institute's chairman, Peter Wilson, told the pair it was one of the first trade training providers in New Zealand and was going from strength to strength.

For too long now our country has encouraged our young people to focus on gaining a degree. This has meant during the past few years our trades have suffered.

Now with the Christchurch rebuilds and the sort of money being offered for skilled tradesmen, young New Zealanders are looking to these types of programmes to take advantage of the opportunities on offer in Christchurch.

I applaud institutions such as Construction and Trade Training for their efforts to upskill our young people. It's vital for the growth of our nation to have qualified tradespeople coming through helping to build and strengthen our nation.