The Tauranga District Education Trust has developed an innovative method of teaching unskilled people a trade on a limited budget. And the community has benefited too.

One of the rocking chairs produced by the Tauranga trainees. Photo courtesy Tauranga District Education Trust.

A twelve month Furniture and Kitchens Pre-trade Skills course is one of the TOPS programmes on offer at the PTE run by the Tauranga District Education Trust. Tutor Gary Ellis works with trainees in a 350 square metre purpose-built workshop complete with all the gear needed to produce high quality furniture and kitchens.

One of the clients selected last year had a complete kitchen built to industry standards for a new house. This involved timber work, PVC edging and all measuring and fitting. It was a big kitchen of complex design and saved thousands of dollars for the client. And it provided excellent training for the trainees.

This hands on training is in addition to factory visits, classroom work, videos and self-paced learning packages. Interesting and varied projects allow for differing levels of skill.

Towards the middle of the course, a rocking chair project was started. This project utilises the main sixteen FITO furniture unit standards used on the course. An additional six trade units are also available, including woodturning. Wood carving is also taught.

The rocking chair project requires each student to make two solid rimu rocking chairs. Tutor Gary Ellis developed the design himself when in self employment. Two chairs are made so that one can be sold to pay for the material costs of both. The trainee is allowed to keep the other. To ensure that a high standard is met with both chairs the tutor decides which chair will be sold.

The project involves bandsawing, spindlemoulding, routing, complicated dowelling and shaping by hand. Finishing is done mostly by hand with a combined oil, shellac and wax finish. This project is well received by the trainees as they end up owning a chair that many plan to keep as a family heirloom.

Last year's star pupil Richard Smith achieved a total of 43 FITO Framework credits at no cost whilst on the course, and later did work experience on job sites. A significant part of Richard's training was doing real trade tasks where the standards are high.

Gary Ellis says trainees respond better to challenging tasks using decent materials, as they feel it is worthwhile.

Richard completed both of his chairs to such a high standard that one was donated by Gary to Ronald McDonald House in Auckland, with the prior approval of the Trust and Skill New Zealand. Gary Ellis says that all involved in the project were pleased to be able to offer a great piece of furniture to such a worthwhile cause. "It is typical of the type of community involvement that the Tauranga District Education Trust is involved in."

With the help of his tutor, Richard later secured full time work with a training agreement at Taylor-made Furniture in Tauranga. Richard will be able to complete his National Certificate through FITO at his own pace.

Tauranga District Education Trust, a charitable community-based trust, was set up in 1992 by Tauranga District Council. The Trust has operated eleven Training Opportunity Programmes each year under contract to Skill New Zealand.