Opinion: Growth in Rotorua and wider Bay of Plenty region's trades sector needs to be fostered

There is no denying that Rotorua's housing market has exploded, its population has shot up and more businesses are looking at the city as an attractive place to set up shop. Photo/Ben Fraser

For the last 18 months all we've heard about is how Rotorua and the wider Bay of Plenty region is going gangbusters.

While our city certainly isn't problem free, there is no denying our housing market has exploded, our population has shot up and more businesses are looking at Rotorua as an attractive place to set up shop.

With this in mind, it comes as no surprise new employment forecast figures show tradies can expect a boost in job opportunities in the next three years.

Our front page story on Saturday focused on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment employment forecast which said construction would see a 5.1 per cent increase in growth between now and 2020.

We spoke to local teenagers TJ Ohlson and Kingi Te Aho who are taking part in Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology's Trades Academy. They were stoked to find out job prospects in the building sector were looking good.

They said they had discovered a real passion for building through the Trades Academy and were glad to know there would be opportunities to work in their home towns once they finished their studies.

Just a few years ago most tradies were leaving the region because that was their best bet to get work.

Now local building, plumbing and electrical businesses are begging for more workers to help carry the abundant workload.

But it's vital we don't just leave it there and hope for the best.

The next step, to ensure a skills shortage isn't developed, is making sure our local students know going into a trade is a viable career option.

When I was at high school it was drilled into us that in order to make something of ourselves, we needed to go to university.

And after graduating most of us did - I could count on one hand the number of students who chose alternate paths.

While uni is the right path for some students, for others it isn't and it is important students know about all the career options available to them.

If we foster this growth in the trades sector and show students like TJ and Kingi what can be achieved, we will see job opportunities in the region continue to grow far beyond 2020.