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Since his time as a student at NorthTec, Jared has moved into work in the refrigeration industry where his electrical engineering studies were an employer requirement, and have combined with on-the-job learning to move him forward in this line of work.
“Doing the electrical course was the best thing I’ve ever done. I came straight from school and it was 10 times better than school. Everything I learned was relevant and the tutors were the best ever. They treated me as an adult.”
Jared needed to do the one-year electrical certificate to learn basics and safety. He benefited from weekly course-related work experience. Now he has a job in the industry and he is looking forward to progressing his career further.
“I don’t know what will open up but refrigeration covers lots of areas of life and can take you all over the world. I’ve told my mates to go to NorthTec. It’s the best thing.”
I’m loving learning new things and am doing things I didn’t think I could do – like repairing appliances, wiring up...
“I was working full time in an office and realized I wasn’t the office type. I’ve always been interested in electrical things but I didn’t think I was capable of doing the study for it.”
“I’m loving learning new things and am doing things I didn’t think I could do – like repairing appliances, wiring up lights, and learning to be safety minded. I didn’t try much at school but I’m really achieving now because I have a purpose. The tutor makes sure we all get through and has even made maths, which I find tricky, easier to understand.”
“I’m hoping to get a good apprenticeship when I finish but am unsure yet of what field. We’re learning about transformers at the moment and I’m getting keen on working in industry. I like the challenge of the scale of it and it would give me scope to travel.”
Iwi – Ngati Hine and Ngapuhi
It’s a great environment to learn in here. I’m surprised at how many avenues there are in electrical engineering and...
“I’ve always been interested in electronics and this is a good pre-training to get into the industry. I’m liking all of it but especially the practical experience we get on the course and learning all the aspects of safety.”
“We also do a lot of the standards needed for an apprenticeship so they are already ticked off. Completing the course and getting the standards will help me get an apprenticeship and the tutors have contacts with employers in the industry too.”
“It’s a great environment to learn in here. I’m surprised at how many avenues there are in electrical engineering and what it can lead to.”
“I want to get work experience first and anything could open up on the way, but it may be good to own my own business as a domestic electrician.”
Our tutors have a lot of trade connections but we make our own way to getting work experience on Fridays and that can...
With a family background in electrical engineering, Zander had already started studying in that field in South Africa. “Dad then came here to New Zealand so I gave up my study there and we started researching places here where I could continue studying. I was able to cross-credit the basic levels here and signed up as an international student. It’s expensive but worth it.”
“Both my Dad and my brother are electrical engineers and are doing well for themselves so when I left school at 16 in South Africa, I decided to do electrical engineering too and found I liked it. I’m finding the study content here is more applied, more integrated to industry, and more fun. South Africa has a reputation as being good at electrical engineering with good training so I’m pleasantly surprised to find that it compares so well.”
“I’m also taking my study here more seriously. Before I was just cruising along to get through but here I’m studying more so that I know my work and I want to do well. The tutors are great and are more like a friend. Getting familiar with the industry terminology here is my biggest challenge because my previous study was in Afrikaans.”
“I want to get an apprenticeship with Northpower and to do that I need a 70 to 80 per cent pass rate, so that’s a good motivator for me. Our tutors have a lot of trade connections but we make our own way to getting work experience on Fridays and that can lead to other opportunities.’
“I want to become a qualified electrical engineer so that I can create an interesting life and get my own house.”
“I wanted to work in a trade and I wanted something that would make me think, so I looked into uni but it wasn’t for...
An apprenticeship is normally three and a half years but the course reduces that by a year. From my training there I...
“I knew I wanted to get qualified in a trade. I had done a lot of things previously like nursing, beauty therapy, massage and café work, but realized a trade would give me a stable income as well as the opportunity to work at something I was good at and would enjoy. I chose Electrical Engineering but knew nothing about it when I started. I’m very passionate about it now and hope to do it forever.”
Jazz (Jasmin) is doing her apprenticeship with Positive Electrical having done the year-long pre-trade Electrical Engineering course at NorthTec. “During that year I did my practical with another electrical firm that wasn’t in a position to take me on, so they suggested I try here and I was accepted.”
“An apprenticeship is normally three and a half years but the course reduces that by a year. From my training there I already have an understanding of how electricity works, why we do things, and how to work safely.”
“Now that I’m working in electrical engineering, I love the mix of having to think, work physically, and be part of a team. We get to do different things every week out on residential and some commercial sites, and we have a great team here. I’m learning new things every day and also have to be more organized to manage my full time work with my family commitments.”
“When I finish my apprenticeship, I’ll be able to go out on jobs on my own. I’m really looking forward to being qualified and financially stable.”