What is your background?

Centre Manager at E-tec for just under a year. I am English originally, came to NZ in 1991 and I have over 20 years management experience in vocational education and training across the ITO, industry and government and ITP sectors. I’ve worked for a private company, I’ve worked in the provider sector, I’ve worked for a training organisation, I’ve worked for what is effectively a private trainer and I’ve worked for TEC. I’d like to think I have a pretty good overview of the education system and am aware of all the different angles. I know what the challenges are from an employer’s perspective, I know what government regulations challenges are like – I have a good ‘big picture’ view of how it all fits together.

What do you love about the Electrical and Telecommunications industries?

I love that it’s a fast moving technology based industry.

What do you think makes E-tec stand out from the competition?

It’s our customer service. Our flexibility, our responsiveness, the relevant industry experience of our tutors and our customer focus. At E-tec we have the attitude that on the rare occasions we can’t solve a customer’s problem ourselves, we’ll find someone who can help solve the problem. We hate to turn people away, and we hate to turn people away without ideas and options. We want people to always feel that we are helpful and that helps us build relationships and connections.

Favourite E-tec memory or success story?

For me it’s the people who have been bounced around various organisations trying to find a way forward and we’ve been able to help them out quickly. And I put that down to us being very solutions focused. We are not beaurecratic - we are not just a training provider, we are a solutions provider. I’ve never seen the qualification as the end, for me it’s about helping people on the education journey; whether it’s a company that needs some upskilling, whether its someone who needs to get a qualification, or someone who needs to get a license - we’re here to help people achieve a goal.

Do you have a favourite hobby?

I love travelling, anytime and anywhere.

What is your background?

I worked at Skills as a training manager. Before that I ran my own business for 12 years in custom electronic design. I was a tradie, an employer and a self-employed businessman.

Before that I worked for Concord Tech, prior to that NZ Post Office / Telecom and before that NZ Navy. I started off with radio and associated electronics in the Navy, I also trained as a fitter/welder.

I’ve been at E-tec 10 years now. Came in as the training manager and then got into development and writing a lot of material. From there I became the Programmes Manager and took responsibility for the 28 academic programmes we run.

What do you love about the Telecommunications, Electrical and Electrical Security industries?

It’s the tough challenges. It’s the student that comes in on day one and you realise there’s going to be significant challenges but you find a way to get them over the line.

What makes E-tec stand out?

We’re student focused rather than just unit standard focused. It’s about creating a logical learning progression so that our students gain the ability to not just answer a bunch of questions but also to become analytical thinkers and be creative. A lot of our students go on to be Service Managers and leaders within industry because they have that ability to think beyond knowing simply what to do, they think why they do it, and can therefore come up with better ways of doing things. We don’t see ourselves as just a training provider, we see ourselves as a solutions advisor.

Favourite E-tec memory?

I had one student come in who had a thick folder of excuses for why he couldn’t sit the exam, he had dyslexia. After a while we realised he also had a more serious condition. We helped him get the right kind of assistance and we worked hard on his literacy issues. Finally at the end of the year he sat his exam and he scored an 84% pass.

That’s what keeps you coming back day after day to work through tough challenges with some students. Because you see them unlock their potential and become the tradies of the future.

If you were talking to a relative or friend about why they should join the Electrical or Telecommunications industries what would you say?

If you are motivated and determined to get into this industry, then the sky is the limit. The kind of people who are attracted to this kind of work are good thinkers and problem solvers who have a willingness to relate to people. The people skills are as important as the technical skills. A good degree of scientific curiosity and a willingness to do maths is important. People who have built things with their hands, whether it worked or not, doesn’t matter, it’s that they’ve had a go at it that’s more important.

Do you have any pets?

We have three dogs at home.

Do you have a hobby?

I’m an amateur radio operator. I've held my license for a year. I really enjoy that there is such an incredible range of different things that you can do. I enjoy the technical challenges of it and I enjoy the social side of it as well.

What is your background?

I’ve been in electrical for over 30 years. I've worked at several multinationals including ABB, Ford and Schneider Electric. I have gained a Tertiary Qualification and NZ Cert of Engineering and Electrical over the years as well.

I was a senior guy at Schneider Electric so I was responsible for educating new staff, sales staff and customers. I found that I quite enjoyed it, hence I decided to make the jump to do it fulltime and I find it quite rewarding.

What do you like about the Electrical industry?

I love this industry, I love its preciseness, I love that everyone involved in it is passionate – like I am. I am at a stage now where I just want to give back and pass back something of what I learned to the next generation and new immigrants.

What do you think makes E-tec different?

I think that it’s that the tutors here are a lot friendlier and more informal than other organisations are.

What advice would you give someone thinking about getting into this industry?

Nearly everyone can be trained to do this kind of work. A lot of people think they have to go to university and get a degree to do a good job. People should understand that in today’s environment we don’t have enough builders, chippies, plumbers, fibre guys. You will never be without a job if you’ve got a trade behind you and you won’t come out of it with a student loan.

What do you love about the Electrical industry?

I get a lot of satisfaction from working things out. My previous role was tech support - I was always troubleshooting and trying to find the things that were wrong. I’m a logical guy - that’s why I like maths and physics. Hence that’s why the electrical world appealed to me. I love exactness, being precise, getting things right. 'Pedantic-ness.' There are no grey areas!

Favourite teaching memory?

Just generally going deeper than the surface of the course or the subject that you’re trying to explain. I find that sometimes I need to digress a wee bit and go off on a bit of a tangent to see whether that makes the student's eyes light up. If you can get them interested, then you’ve got them!

So, I guess it’s not just solely about focusing on what’s on the plate that you have to deliver, sometimes you’ve got to get the trust and the interest of the person. I try to get that passion burning in their bellies, they same as it is in mine.

Do you have a hobby?

I'm a mad keen motorcyclist – in particular I love Ducatis!

What is your background?

I joined the NZ Navy in 2001 at the age of 17 as a Coms Operator. I left the Navy in 2010. After that I did mine site and exploration drilling and H&S stuff also in Australia.

I moved back to NZ in 2013 and I started working with an underground thrusting company as a senior driller before switching to Fibre with Data Light. I spent five years teaching myself everything that I could around fibre optic installation and networking, with a little bit of LAN thrown in. Then in late 2016 I made the move to E-tec and started teaching.

What do you teach?

At E-tec I specialise in telecommunications training for fibre optic cabling and networking with a little bit of copper and radio thrown in. I also do Health and Safety confined space training. I’ve been teaching at E-tec for a year and a half now. I chose Telecommunications initially, during my navy days, because I like playing with computers!

I have previously gained teaching experience from teaching people out in the field as well as a little bit of classroom work during my Navy days.

What do you enjoy about teaching Telecommunications?

I get a lot of satisfaction from passing on the knowledge that I’ve gained to the next generation. It’s always fantastic as an instructor to see the ‘lights turning on’ when you’re teaching someone something, that moment when the 'light bulb' comes on. That’s very satisfying.

What makes E-tec stand-out?

We care. We don’t charge exorbitant sums of money and treat people like a wandering spirit that drifts in and drifts out. They come to us needing some specific knowledge and when they leave us, they leave knowing exactly what they’ve learned. The whole reason I came into this company is to maintain that human touch.

Do you have a favourite E-tec story?

I’ve designed and developed a new course based on an international unit standard called the FTTH course. It basically takes someone who doesn’t know anything about a subject in off the street and we spit him out the other end after 4-6 months ready to go.

One student named Jose came in not knowing anything about fibre optic cabling and now I’m pretty confident that he’s got a job after having a few people come through and look at his work. He’s on the verge of being employed as a Senior Lead technician and he’s now well on his way to making a good name for himself within the industry.

What kind of person should get into telecommunications as a career?

You have to be passionate about it. You have to enjoy playing around with computer networks. A fibre network is the backbone to providing a working network for someone within a premises.

Do you have a hobby?

I often come into work battered and bruised from Rugby on the weekend - I love it!

What is your background?

I've been at E-tec for almost two years and I teach Telecommunications: Fibre and Copper.

I was a cable joiner doing copper, for 43 years. I have lots of experience in the field with customers and also with the skeleton of networks; the main network feeds, the distribution from the exchange. While working in the field I trained many, many trainees & apprentices.

Eventually I decided that I was ready for a change and that I could be more useful to the community by making better use of my knowledge by sharing it, rather than doing individual jobs.

What is your cultural background?

I am South African of Indian origin and a fourth generation Indian. I was born in South Africa and I lived in South Africa for 42 years. I've called NZ home since 1999. I think it is helpful for me as a teacher - sometimes our foreign born students appreciate that I can relate to where they have come from. I understand the challenges of being an immigrant.

What do you enjoy about teaching?

I’m passionate about it. I really want to show the guys things that are not just in theory, not just in books. Some of the methods cannot be written – they need to be demonstrated.

What do you love about Telecommunications?

The satisfaction of seeing the guys going out and doing their job professionally and to a high standard.

What do you think makes E-tec stand out?

We are passionate about teaching people. We are dedicated and we don’t have a limit to how much we can give to our students. We are focused on helping them to succeed.

Do you have a favourite E-tec memory?

It's hard to narrow it down to just one. We quite often give students individual attention and we do get a few 100% passes and that is always very satisfying.

What sort of person should study Telecommunications?

You need to have an interest in how telecommunications work, some aptitude for computers. But also it’s very important that you are happy to handle tools and be prepared to do a lot of work out in the elements.

A big positive of the work is that you are out in a different environment every day, it’s not like being stuck in an office every day. There’s a wide variety of people that you meet and communicate with. There’s lots of different types of jobs, different approaches and different challenges.

Do you have a favourite hobby?

Fishing and gardening.

What is your background?

Mary: I have been at E-tec since 2014 and Kaz since 2016. We both used to work together at Auckland hospital working as cooks from 2009-2012 so we know each other pretty well. Our main responsibilities are to take enrolments for courses.

What are your cultural backgrounds?

Samoan and Tongan.

What do you like about working at E-tec?

We enjoy meeting people from a range of different cultural backgrounds, different working backgrounds and helping people to achieve their goals. We’re a very fun bubbly team here at E-tec.

Do you have any hobbies?

Cooking and baking. Spending time with our families.

Favourite memories?

The people. There’s always been a lot of good people working at E-tec and coming through here to learn. We’ve made some good friendships, met some cool people and had some good laughs.

What is your background?

Prior to working at E-tec I was working for another ITO called Competenz - I was there for 3.5 years. I was working very closely with industry as part of a big truck project reviewing qualifications. Mostly my sector areas were plastics and textiles.

I also have a strong background in Sales. In sales I worked mostly with the exporting of aluminium to French Polynesia.

What do you like about working in Business development?

It’s always exciting when you have a good product which E-tec has with Electro-technology. It is quite a niche market. When you work with products that in are niche markets it’s always a bit more challenging but I really like working closely with industry because you are always responding to needs that are very real.

You are working to provide people with services they need every day and it really makes a difference in peoples' lives and peoples' businesses. I really like that you get tangible results straight away.

What attracted you to E-tec as a place to work?

I know my manager Bill from his previous organisation. I know that he is a person with great values and who is a great leader. I just thought that I want to work for someone like that because I am confident that good things will happen. Bill sold me the product and the challenge and we have worked really together previously.

What do you like about the Electrical industry as an industry to work in?

To be honest it’s an industry that I am still learning about. But I have worked with mechanical engineering and plastic engineering previously and I just thought these are people who are really pragmatic and practical - I really like that about these industries. It’s something we can all relate to. We all need electricity, we all need appliances, it is easy to relate to the product. There's also a shortage of people in these industries – I want to be part of the solution.

What makes E-tec different?

E-tec has a very small structure which means every single staff member at E-tec has to perform to a very high standard to make it work. Everybody’s role is really key to the organisation, which means everyone is important and means we all have to work to a really high standard.

What are your hobbies?

Currently I do a lot of ballet and yoga and before I had children it was mountain biking. These days there’s not enough time to do all three.

What is your background?

I’ve been involved in the electrical industry for many years. In the past 12 years, I have worked in data centre management, where I was involved with everything from management of all trade services to critical works workplan planning, co-ordination, and supervision.

Prior to this I held a variety of roles, some of which were as an electrical engineer, electrical maintenance supervisor and a marine electrical technician. I’ve been lucky enough for my career to take me across the world, with project and design contracts taking me to Singapore, Indonesia, Ireland, Australia and all-over New Zealand’s North and South Islands.

What do you teach at E-tec?

At the moment I am mainly involved with teaching the practical side of a range of Electrical Workers Registration Board (EWRB) qualifications. This can be anything from health and safety through to the full electrical trade final practical assessment for students to get their licence.

What do you enjoy about teaching?

I frequently taught young and adult apprentices as a tradesman, so I found the step into teaching as a profession a natural fit. It’s great to be able to give back to the industry and nurture the next generation of electricians.

What makes E-tec stand out?

The students come first, the structure of E-tec’s teaching is a lot more flexible. We get to provide great one-on-one time with students and adjust the training to focus on any areas where they may be struggling.

What kind of person should study Electrotechnology?

Well, I think anybody can become an electrician with the right training. You will want to be quite hands-on with the technical side of things and be motivated to learn.

What are your hobbies?

I enjoy radio control models, own four drones and a radio-controlled off-road dirt buggy which can reach about 50km/hr!