A nationwide roadshow to encourage plumbing employers to train and invest in apprentices hit the road in April.

With a pack of resources to encourage apprentice recruitment, it targeted the key decision makers at plumbing companies to attend presentations from Whangarei to Invercargill.

The roadshow - an initiative by the Industry Recruitment Taskforce - is a direct response to a comprehensive survey identifying a shortage of almost 1500 tradespeople in plumbing, drainlaying and gasfitting by the end of this year.

The Colmar Brunton survey of more than 400 plumbers, drainlayers and gasfitters showed employers expect to be short of 594 registered craftsmen, 450 plumbers, 139 gasfitters, 177 drainlayers, and 132 apprentices by the end of 2005.

Master Plumbers’ training manager, Doug Wilson, says the Taskforce wants to double the intake of apprentices, bringing in another 150 a year for training. "We are enjoying a good level of recruitment and the number of apprentices going through the system is impressive. But in many cases the level of interest has exceeded the availability of employers to train them.

"The roadshow was a major initiative to persuade and encourage employers into training apprentices," Doug says. A comprehensive recruitment package available to all participants covered key realities about investing in training.

It addressed:

• The chance to generate revenue from the training investment.
• FAQs during an apprentice interview.
• A model media advertisement.
• A model employment agreement.
• A series of contacts for follow up.

"We stressed that an investment in training is profitable and we showed how easy it was to get into the training system. It was an exercise in encouraging employers and emphasising that we could grow the industry if recruitment was more successful."

Doug says recruiting apprentices was crucial for replacing the anticipated volumes of baby boomer retirees likely to leave the industry over the next few years.

Employers wanting more information can contact the Industry Recruitment Taskforce at 0800 99 838 or email the taskforce co-ordinator Peter Reilly at peter@taskforce.org.nz.