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Student StorIes

Meet some of our Trades Academy students and read about their experiences.

Students' Stories

Ben Mathers

Art, Design & Digital Technology

Nayland College

Ben would like to study arts and visual design at NMIT fulltime in the future, so when he heard about the new Art, Design & Digital Technology Trades programme he thought why not give it a go. Ben could see that this would be a great opportunity to have a look at the NMIT campus and develop skills that he can use to go into future study. Long term, his dream career would be working in Japan as an illustrator and animator.

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Phillip Schultz

Uniformed Services

Queen Charlotte College

Phillip has really enjoyed the practical activities of the Uniformed Services course. These have ranged from taking part in challenging multi-person first aid scenarios, through to USAR missing person search scenarios and learning about the fire service through real life fire service training activities. Phillip says that meeting the professional people who work in these services has given him a much greater insight into the different roles and type of work they do. He has a lot of respect for the difficult work these people undertake and the challenges they face every day that they go to work. 

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Zoe Limmer 

Health & Support Services

Motueka High School

Zoe began the year not knowing what Trades Academy would be like, nor what it would be like attend the NMIT Campus. Zoe says she made the right choice as she is loving the Health & Support Services course. Zoe has particularly enjoyed listening to the many different speakers from the health and wellbeing sectors who visit students in class, especially those speakers who talk about living with a disability and the impact this has on their lives. “These speakers were real and it was interesting to learn about their experiences and how they support others with disabilities in the community.”

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Briarna Foley

Tourism Operations

Queen Charlotte College

Briarna has thoroughly enjoyed the experience of the Tourism Operations course, especially meeting new people from different schools. Being able to visit different tourism destinations, learning about Maori culture and the history of the places she visited during the course, have had a big impact on Briarna.  

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Raumati Rogers

Manaaki Tapoi

(Level 2)Marlborough Girls College

Raumati sums up the Manaaki Tapoi programme using one word: “Whanaungatanga – it means that all of us here are whānau and we say that with pride. We’ve developed a real bond.”

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Donje Jamieson

Adventure Tourism Leadership

Queen Charlotte College

Donje heard about the programme through her school Careers Advisor. “It sounded like such a good opportunity that I thought I’d give it a go. I come from a small school and this has helped me to meet new people, learn some really cool things and develop my leadership skills.” Donje has enjoyed all the activities so far – mountain biking, sea-kayaking and rock climbing. “They’re challenging and fun. For me, it’s all about the experience. The credits are useful but they’re not the priority. I’m interested in developing my confidence and leadership skills more.”

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Asher Harris

Adventure Tourism Leadership

Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu

For Asher, the real highlights of the Adventure programme have been pushing his physical skills to new limits as well as further enhancing his personal and social skills working alongside other young people on the course. “We start off in groups with people we don’t know, but the programme is structured so that we get to know each other really well and we learn to trust one another and collaborate. I’ve developed my group communication and leadership skills which I’ll be able to use in the future.”

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Annie Davies

Creative Design for Hair & Make Up

Nelson College for Girls

Annie’s goal is to become a special effects make up and prosthetics designer for the film and theatre industry; and she’s doing everything she can while she’s still at school to make that dream a reality. Last year Annie completed the Level 2 Beauty programme and this year she’s extending her skills and knowledge further through the Level 3 Creative Design for Hair and Make Up programme. These programmes are building the foundation skills she needs to go on into future tertiary study and then employment in the industry.

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Katharine Taylor

Hairdressing Nelson

Tapawera Area School

After talking to family and teachers, Katharine decided to enrol in the Trades Hairdressing programme, as it was a way to develop and extend her knowledge and interest in hair styling and beauty. Even though she’s the only student from Tapawera School in the programme, it has been an easy transition from school to Trades.

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Kiara-Lee Chamberlain

Beauty Marlborough

Marlborough Girls’ College

The professional clinic environment and hands on learning of Trades Academy suit Kiara-Lee. In 2018 she completed the Hairdressing programme and she enjoyed this so much that she enrolled in the Beauty class this year to further her knowledge of hair and beauty treatments.

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Lisa Healey

Beauty Nelson

Nayland College

Lisa found out about Trades Academy when she came to an Open Day in Year 11. “The Beauty programme really stood out to me as something I might like to do. In fact it’s actually exceeded all my expectations”. Lisa says that the professional facilities at NMIT make all the difference. “Our classroom is like a real salon."

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Paris Eggers

Hospitality - Culinary Arts

(Level 3)Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu

Paris is in Culinary Arts, the second year of the Hospitality programme, completing Level 3 unit standards as part of her NCEA Level 3 qualification. “I really enjoyed the programme when I did it last year. We had the opportunity to learn about both Front of House and cooking. This year we spend all our time in the kitchen”.

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Mikayla Fothergill

Hospitality

(Level 2)Murchison Area School

Mikayla’s sister encouraged her to try the Trades course at NMIT and Mikayla’s really glad she did. In fact, since starting the Hospitality course Mikayla’s been telling others at her school how good it is and that they should think about doing it themselves.

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Shayla Rupapere

Sport & Exercise

Nayland College

Shayla is really enjoying her Sport & Exercise class where she puts the theory of exercise she has learnt into action. She says the course is packed with action and variety and is never boring as it relates to future job opportunities in the health and fitness area. Shayla is considering a future career as either a personal trainer or a physiotherapist and she says that the course is “real life, focused learning.”

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Jack Heath

Automotive Engineering

(Year 2 Nelson)Waimea College

This is Jack’s second year of Automotive Engineering, and it’s the practical and technical aspects of the programme that he particularly enjoys.

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Ruan Geyser

Automotive Engineering

(Year 1) Marlborough Boys’ College

Ruan has recently moved to Marlborough from his homeland of South Africa. He enjoys his Trades Academy classes, meeting new people and learning new skills. Ruan has always been interested in all things mechanical and he is impressed with the machinery that he has access to on the course.

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Kayla Stuart

Mechanical Engineering

(Year 2)Murchison Area School

Kayla is in her second year of the Mechanical Engineering programme, combining this with Technology studies at school and Gateway work experience in dairy farming. She says that the combination of engineering and farming goes well together. “I’m focused on gaining vocational skills and furthering my knowledge. There are workshops on the farm for all the mechanical equipment that we need and use, so there are heaps of opportunities to use all the skills I have. If something breaks on the farm, I can use my knowledge to fix it.”

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Karl Newton

Mechanical Engineering

(Year 1)Waimea College

The Mechanical Engineering Trades programme has been the highlight of Karl’s Year 12. He enjoys the fact that the students do their theory work at the start of the morning and then have all the rest of the day to work on their engineering project.

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Tim Fahey

Civil Infrastructure

Garin College

Tim has his eyes firmly set on a career in the Civil Infrastructure sector. Following in the footsteps of family members he has seen firsthand the opportunities the industry has to offer and he aspires to be a heavy machinery operator in the future.

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Dylan Elwood

Building - Carpentry Nelson

Waimea College

Dylan has been interested in the building industry for some time, taking Hard Materials at school, as well as completing smaller building projects at home. When Dylan was choosing his subjects for Year 12, the Trades Academy programme seemed like a good option for extending his knowledge and skills and finding out more about the different options and pathways into the building sector.

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Graduate Students' StorIes

Jordan Gillespie

Mechanical Engineering

Waimea College

Jordan was a Year 12 student at Waimea College in 2014 when he put his name forward to enrol in the Trades Academy Mechanical Engineering programme based at NMIT. At that time he was taking other practical, hands-on subjects at school, such as Materials Technology, Graphics, Engineering and Physical Education, and Trades Academy seemed like a good option for an extra subject.

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Caroline Bureka

Health and Support Services

Marlborough Girls College

Caroline was a Year 12 student at Marlborough Girls’ College in 2015 when she enrolled in the Trades Academy Health & Support Services course, which was based at the Nelson NMIT campus. Caroline had always had an interest in caring for people and wanted to explore the idea of becoming a Registered Nurse as a future career option.

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Selina Te Miha-Barlow

Hospitality & Manaaki Tāpoi

(Level 2 & 3)Motueka High School

Selina had the opportunity to enrol in both the Hospitality and Manaaki Tāpoi Trades Academy programmes in 2016 and 2017, and was able to complete both Level 2 and Level 3 in each programme over the two years she was enrolled. “Both of these programmes gave me the confidence to work alongside other people. They also opened my eyes to the opportunities available within the tourism sector.

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Joshua Hutton

Civil Infrastructure

Waimea College

At school, Joshua always preferred practical subjects like Outdoor Ed, materials technology and engineering. By the time he got to Year 12 he was looking around at alternatives and decided to give the Trades Academy Civil Infrastructure programme a go. “I’d thought about civil construction as an option for the future, but back then I didn’t really have any idea what it was all about until I did the Trades programme. It opened my eyes to the different roles and opportunities available in the industry.”

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Ben Coutts

Hospitality & Culinary Arts

(Yr 1 & Yr 2 )Waimea College

When Ben was in Year 12 at school, he decided to enrol in the Trades Academy Hospitality programme as a way to gain experience and skills in Front of House operations. During the programme he had the opportunity to also try out chefing in the commercial kitchen. It was during this time that he realised his real passion lay in the kitchen, preparing and cooking delicious food. In 2014 he enrolled for Culinary Arts, the second year of the Trades Hospitality programme, honing his cooking skills further and making plans for what his future career might look like.

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Tomās Ogilvie

Sport & Exercise

Waimea College

Tomās was in his final year at school in 2015 when he decided to enrol in the Trades Academy Sport & Exercise programme. He was into rugby and sport, and really enjoyed P.E at school, but wasn’t enjoying his other subjects quite so much. He decided to try out the Sport & Exercise Trades Academy programme as he knew it could lead on to further study at NMIT.

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Kelsie Gibbons

Primary Industries Marlborough

Marlborough Girls' College

Kelsie was a Year 12 student at Marlborough Girls’ College when she enrolled in the Trades Academy Primary Industries course. Kelsie has always had an interest in farming and has a love of animals especially dogs and pups.

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Hannah Mullenger

Hospitality

Nayland College

Hannah enrolled for the Year 1 Hospitality Trades Academy programme when she was in Year 12 at Nayland College. She had always wanted to get into the hospitality industry but wasn’t sure if she wanted to be a chef and work in a kitchen or be part of a Front of House team. The Year 1 Hospitality Trades Academy programme offered her the opportunity to try both areas to help her decide which one she preferred. By the end of the year, Hannah knew that Front of House was for her.

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Automotive Engineering Secondary School Trades Course

Ryan Gerrish

Automotive Engineering

Ryan completed the Trades Academy Automotive programme in 2014, while a student at Nayland College. He then enrolled in the fulltime Automotive Pre-Trades course at NMIT, before gaining an apprenticeship at Houston Motors at the beginning of 2016.

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Hospitality Secondary School Trades Course

Tash Krammer

Hospitality

Tash was a Year 12 student at Waimea College when she enrolled in the Trades Academy Hospitality course. She has always enjoyed cooking and knew that chefing was a career pathway she wanted to learn more about.

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Brianna McKnight

Brianna McKnight

Aquaculture and Maritime

“I would definitely recommend Trades Academy Aquaculture and Maritime to others. It was a great taste of the industry and an amazing learning experience. It really gives you a leg up if you decide to pursue the course at NMIT.

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Chrystal Warren graduate student

Chrystal Warren

Hairdressing

Chrystal said she would not have gone to NMIT to do hairdressing if it wasn’t for the Trades Academy Hairdressing course.

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Aviation Engineering Secondary School Trades Course

Aiden Treston

Aviation Engineering

“I enjoyed Trades Academy because it was away from school and you get to learn in a different environment. The course allowed me to get some experience and get the chance to look at the aviation industry."

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Brad Fisher

Brad Fisher

Building and Construction

Brad was a Trades Academy student in 2014 attending the Building and Construction course at NMIT. Brad was also in the Gateway programme at Waimea College.

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Alex Way

Alex Way

Sport & Exercise

“The Trades Academy Sport and Exercise programme gave me a good look at what was involved in the study of fitness and the fitness industry.”

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