Inaugural Skills First Graduation, Auckland
In October, the Upskills team was proud to celebrate the inaugural Skills First graduation. We joined 55 Auckland-based Waste Management team members and their managers from eight sites.
Sharon Scott, National HR Manager at Waste Management said how inspired she had been by the team members who participated in the programme, which is funded by the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC).
Several participants spoke about how the programme had helped them and their sites to communicate with confidence.
Supervisor Lloyd Paikea commented on the way participants at the Maurice Road Recycling Site had started contributing more at meetings and with managers.
“I’ve seen the confidence of my team improve,” said Lloyd. “They never used to have too much to say at toolbox meetings but now they are speaking up more.”
John Axmann, one of the participants, said a highlight for him was when his Skills First group had the chance to teach some visiting TEC staff digital literacy. They shared their learning around an app which converts dictation into written work.
Another participant, Craig Cook, thanked Waste Management for providing the opportunity to participate in such a valuable training course.
Managing Director, Tom Nickels congratulated the group, saying how proud he was of the Skills First graduates and what a priority training is for the company. He invited participants to think about the next steps in their training journey with Waste Management.
TEC Programme Manager Nicky Murray represented Skills Highway at the graduation:
“I wish that Minister Joyce could be here today to see what this programme has delivered. Because this is the fund working wonderfully as intended. Benefiting both employers in their business and learners in their work and their personal lives.”
