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BCITO Choose Boldly

BCITO and Firth......Working Together

Appointed by the government to develop and implement industry qualifications for the building and construction sector, BCITO (Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation) is the largest provider of construction trade apprenticeships in New Zealand ... and they partner with businesses like Firth to support and grow the construction industry.

“With50,000 BCITO trade qualified professionals and counting across New Zealand, our team is passionate about what we do as it changes people's lives and helps them create successful careers and lifestyles while strengthening the capability of the construction sector’s workforce,” says Greg Durkin, Director at BCITO. “We have been partnering with BCITO since their inception in 1991,” says Christy Thompson, National Masonry Sales Manager for Firth. “It’s a long standing and strong relationship which we know helps protect the future of our industry. Not only are they paving the way for the future of young people in construction across the country, but they also recognise, understand the necessity of, and appreciate the value of diversity in the workplace."

BCITO launches the ‘Hire Boldy’ campaign  

“The ‘Hire Boldly’ campaign is aimed at employers in the building and construction trades, to help boost the number of women entering the industry,” says Greg. “The number of women in BCITO apprenticeships has grown from less than one percent in 2015, however women still only make up just over six percent of apprentices. Our goal is to raise this figure to 10 percent by December 2025, through focusing on addressing ongoing misperceptions about the ability of women to take on physical jobs.” 

Greg says that reaching this goal will clearly signal that the industry is moving forward and considering people based on skills and ability for the role, not gender.  

"Despite the recent slowdown in resource consents and the pipeline of work for New Zealand's building industry, it's vital to ensure we have healthy numbers of new people entering the construction industry and building skills for the future. Encouraging more women into the workforce is not only a matter of equality but a strategic move to strengthen our industry's resilience. Employers play a critical role in shaping the future of construction,” says Greg. 

In a 2021 report for the Women in Trades Collective, part of industry initiative Trade Careers, nearly half of respondents to the employer survey agreed that hiring and supporting women tradespeople was a challenge because it would be hard to accommodate pregnant women in the workplace. Forty-six percent also said they would find it difficult to hire women because the workplace can be physically challenging. 

“Examples such as the BuildHERS project in Whenuapai, a four-bedroom home project-managed and built entirely by a female crew, demonstrate how outdated or misinformed these perceptions are. Women can do anything their male colleagues can do, and that’s what we hope to educate more employers about,” Durkin says. 

 

For more information, visit www.buildingwomen.nz. 

Firth - Developing our young leaders … 

 “BCITO is our main training partner as they run, amongst other programmes, key qualifications such as the ‘National Certificate of Concrete Production’ and ‘Concrete Production Manufacturing,” says Natasha Barclay, People and Performance Manager for Firth. “They promote and support the development of young people in the construction industry. Some of our amazing young people have come through their programmes including Daniela Powell, who started in hospitality and is now the Masonry Plant Manager in Whangarei. She has recently completed the Concrete Production Manufacturing Certificate. Her strong work ethic and can-do attitude was recognised early on and, with support, she has developed into one of our amazing young leaders.” 

Meet Daniela  

Daniela first joined the Firth team back in 2017 and started in the role of despatcher for the Whangarei masonry plant. “Daniela has over the years put her hand up, learned and developed and has completed courses such as the Fletcher Building Connect Youth programme,” says Ben Hawkins, National Masonry Production Manager for Firth.  “Eighteen months ago she was promoted to the plant manager role where the rapport she has fostered with her team and the changes she has helped put in place have made all the difference to seeing a big jump in key performance indicators at the plant.” 

View a video of Francis Leslie, Head of Northern Certified & Asset Management for Firth chatting with Daniela

“We are proud to be associated with the BCITO, and the ‘Silver Trowel Award’* could not take place without their assistance,” adds Christy. “They are an important component to the success of our people at Firth and throughout the construction industry and as a whole.”   

 

*’Silver Trowel Award’ – is run by the Brick and Blocklayers Federation of New Zealand (BBFNZ) - the industry body for Brick Veneer and Structural Masonry building systems. Annually, they identify, announce and award the ‘Silver Trowel Apprentice of the Year Award’.