“We have got the likes of Loaders, Concrete Structures, Barred Up Scaffolding, Waters and Farr, Graham Civil Contractors and W&W Construction all inviting participants into their workplaces, so they can get a real taster for the career opportunities this course presents.”
Each intake accepts up to eight participants, with seven recently completing Fast Track 4.0. All gained work experience with local businesses while on the course. These work experience opportunities have proved invaluable with one moving on to fulltime work at Concrete Structures and one offered a placement at Tupoho Toi Tu te Mahi for construction.
Two others completed the Fast Track in 2023 and have gained fulltime employment with Graham Civil Contractors (GCC), with one (Mau Pakai) receiving the GCC MVP recognition employee award.
An excellent example of a Fast Track participant taking on the opportunities the programme presented to them is Arasi Filo. Arasi was a member of Fast Track 1.0, and upon completion, he moved to Australia to play rugby league. He recently returned to Whanganui to look for employment, possibly a career.
Earlier this year, Concrete Structures advertised for three entry-level civil positions. They reached out to the PEP to see if they knew of any potential candidates. The PEP contacted Arasi to see if he would like to take up an opportunity for work experience at Concrete Structures to see if he and another Fast Track participant would be suitable for the job.
Following his work experience, Arasi has been offered a fulltime role with Concrete Structures, with both employer and employee thrilled with the appointment.
“Concrete Structures have taken great care with those who have carried out work experience with them. They made sure Arasi and others felt welcomed and had interesting and challenging work to complete,” says Seletar Taputoro.
“Arasi particularly enjoyed working alongside senior site supervisor Jono Whitaker, who has provided him with invaluable guidance.”
Equally, Concrete Structures has found real value in the Fast Track programme and the work experience opportunity.
“By providing the opportunity to bring people in for work experience on our site, both parties have time to determine whether the job and what it entails will be a suitable fit for both career aspirations and project completion,” says Concrete Structures spokeswoman Anna Whitaker.
“With Arasi, we were impressed by his work ethic, communication and desire to be at work. He would arrive early each day and offer to stay behind until late, just to finish a job.
“We received a large number of applicants when we advertised earlier this year, but the skills Arasi brought with him from Fast Track, paired with his dedication and commitment during work experience, certainly set him apart.”
“The relationships between not only PEP and Concrete Structures, but other businesses as well, will be beneficial as we look to support local people to upskill and obtain employment,” says Seletar Taputoro.
The PEP are currently advertising for participants to register for Fast Track 5.0 which is set to start in June this year. Further information on the programme can be found by emailing PEPtraining@wdett.org.nz, or visiting www.wdett.org.nz.
Te Pūwaha:
Te Pūwaha is the first major infrastructure project recognising Te Awa Tupua. It is a collaborative effort, led by iwi and upheld by project partners; Whanganui District Council, Whanganui Port, Horizons Regional Council, Q-West Boat Builders, Te Mata Pūau and the Whanganui District Employment Training Trust (Port Employment Precinct) to create Mauri Awa (abundance for the river), Mauri Ora (abundance for the wider eco-system) and Mauri Tangata (abundance for whanau, hapū, iwi and the wider Whanganui community).
The total investment in Te Pūwaha is over $62.85m, including a $31.8m government investment managed by Kānoa – Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit.
Te Pūwaha will:
■ Enable the local building and maintenance of world-class vessels.
■ Retain and create high-value jobs in the marine, engineering and coastal freight sector.
■ Create a platform for unlocking further investment in the port and Whanganui.
■ Secure a modern marine precinct and community asset for the next 50 years.
■ Create specialist port-related training through the Port Employment Precinct.
■ Te Pūwaha would like to acknowledge Te Awa Tupua and its communities, who are integral to the port revitalisation project.
For more information on WDETT and the Port Employment Precinct, visit www.wdett.org.nz. For more information on Te Pūwaha, visit www.whanganuiport.co.nz or follow Te Pūwaha on Facebook.
