Otago Polytechnic celebrates new facility
Otago polytechnic will celebrate the official opening of its new Heavy Automotive Engineering facility on July 26.
Representatives from Ngai Tahu and Otago Polytechnic will attend a 9 am blessing of the premises in Donald St, Kaikorai Valley, before industry representatives, staff and students celebrate the opening with a barbecue at 3 pm.
The facility will specifically cater to new automotive programmes aimed at meeting the demands of the industry.
The New Zealand Certificate in Heavy Automotive Engineering (level 4) is the result of close consultation with local industry and meets an acknowledged skills shortage.
"It gives learners a really strong grounding. In turn, that means it is great for employers looking for quality staff," Hamish Miller, Otago Polytechnic Automotive programme manager says.
Chief executive Phil Ker says Otago Polytechnic is pleased to be meeting the needs of the heavy transport industry.
"The introduction of this programme is a good case study of our responsiveness.
"It demonstrates that although the vocational education system may have some challenges, Otago Polytechnic continues to grow its offerings and, in doing so, strengthens the industry and other organisations in the region."
The New Zealand Certificate in Heavy Automotive Engineering has strands in road transport, plant and equipment, agricultural equipment, and materials handling.
It is structured in the same format as Otago Polytechnic’s light vehicle/auto electrical programmes, which have been highly successful in training apprentices to meet industry needs in the Otago region.
Otago Polytechnic is also expanding its New Zealand Certificate in Automotive Engineering (Level 3) (Pre-Trade) programme to offer increased content training in heavy as well as light automotive engineering training.
In addition, Otago Polytechnic will offer heavy transport driver licence training from September.
"The trucking industry is growing and, at the moment, a lot of companies are looking for drivers, too," Miller says.
"So as well as training people to be HT mechanics, we are offering HT driver training, which means learners have a range of pathways once they complete their programmes with us.
"This flexibility is important. It means an employer can take on someone for a driving role knowing that person also has the requisite skills and training to move into a workshop - or vice-versa.
"And the people working on trucks have to be able to drive the vehicle anyway. For example, they might have to test-drive it before and/or after as well as get it into the workshop."
