Helping boost the next generation
On Friday, 16 December, Citycare Property the special privilege of hosting the Honourable MPs Dr Duncan Webb MP for Christchurch Central, Dr Tracey McLellan MP for Banks Peninsula and List MP Dan Rosewarne to showcase the government’s Apprenticeship Boost programme in action and talk about the other training the business invests in.
Citycare Property places a high value on training programmes and believes it has a responsibility to positively support and help develop the next generation of staff and tradespeople across Aotearoa New Zealand. The informal meet and greet was held at Dallington Landing a project that Citycare Property helped deliver for Christchurch City Council.
“Apprenticeship Boost is a great way to get people into meaningful work, as well as being great for the wider economy because the things our apprentices are being taught are skills that we desperately need, and which make us more accommodating and more resilient as a society,” says Honourable Dr Duncan Webb.
Held at Dallington Landing, the meet and greet was an opportunity for Citycare Property employees and local MPs to talk strategy around apprenticeship programmes.
“Citycare Property has a proud history of building, operating, maintaining and renewing social infrastructure across the motu. Given our historical roots in Christchurch it is a particular point of pride that we have been able to support the rebuild of Christchurch and the growth of its people through trade training that we deliver. The ability of Citycare Property to maintain the delivery of trade training through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic was enhanced through the Apprenticeship Boost program from Work and Income,” says Chief Executive, Peter Lord.
The MPs met with four of our newest apprentices: Joel Johnston Landside Groundsman within our Airport OSM Team who has been with Citycare Property since 2019; Sophie Carson Gardener within our Road Landscapes team who has been with Citycare Property since 2019; Edgar Huata a Gardener within our Road Landscapes Team who has been with Citycare Property since May 2019; and Lee Reihana Team Leader within our Ecological Field team who has been with Citycare since 2019.
From left: Aaron Wright, GM Strategic Growth; Richard Burtenshaw, Greenspace Field Supervisor; Steve Frame, Project Manager OSM; Lee Reihana, Team Leader; Edgar Huata, Gardner; Joel Johnston, Landside Groundsman; Honourable Dr Duncan Webb, MP for Christchurch Central; Sophie Carson, Gardner; Honourable Dr Tracey McLellan, MP for Banks Peninsula; Peter Lord, Chief Executive; and Honourable Dan Roswarne List MP for North Canterbury.
Also on hand to meet the MPs were Aaron Wright GM Strategic Growth, Richard Burtenshaw Greenspace Field Supervisor and Steve Frame Project Manager OSM.
“As a good Kiwi company, Citycare Property is strongly positioned to improve social infrastructure. Key to this is the development of a skilled workforce to ensure that we keep people and their safety at the centre of everything that we do without compromising on our world class service. Joel, Sophie, Edgar and Lee are our people and our business. It has been a pleasure to provide the opportunity for them to tell their stories to their local MP’s at Dallington Landing,” says Aaron Wright.
“The Apprenticeship Boost programme has been a real success and an important step in New Zealand’s history of people embracing apprenticeships. Through this programme, we’re seeing more women and more people who aren’t school leavers and who are in their 40’s and 50’s taking up apprenticeships and that’s positive and deserves to be supported,” says Honourable Dr Tracey McLellan.
Citycare Property apprentices (from left) Sophie Carson, Lee Reihana, Edgar Huata and Joel Johnston (far right) with List MP Dan Roswarne
Honourable Dan Rosewarne, List MP for North Canterbury, added: “For me, it’s about employers taking on apprentices and giving them a go – that’s all a lot of young people need. Once they build up that confidence, it leads them to progress in the workforce. It’s fantastic to hear about the length of service young people have put into Citycare Property and being able to move up through the organisation.”
In 2022, Citycare Property made a concerted push to recruit more apprentices and is currently running the Kickstart Pre-Apprenticeship Programme, which will add more apprentices to the business across the motu in 2023.