Forestry training under a new roof
Alice Te Puni
Te Wananga o Aotearoa is shaking out the welcome mat for its first official intake of forestry students.
New enrolments are being taken for the cable-logging certificate’s September 2009 intake.
The wananga took over the Papatoa cable-logging course from Tairawhiti Polytechnic, which ran the successful trade training initiative for the past decade.
Papatoa School manager John Helmbright said the certificate in cable logging would be offered to about 350 students at 18 campuses throughout the North Island, including Gisborne’s Whirikoka Campus.
The wananga was asked to take over the trade-training programme by the Tertiary Education Commission and Tairawhiti Polytechnic.
“The actual Papatoa programme comes with 10 years of experience under great leadership, and the opportunity was to bring that leadership and experience together with the wananga’s infrastructure and its kaupapa in an effort to maintain, enhance and advance Papatoa as
a programme moving
forward.”
Mr Helmbright said Papatoa — one of Aotearoa’s leading forestry training providers will continue to work with logging contractors throughout the mainland.
“It provides professional training to keen, energetic, dedicated and hard-working students interested in a career in forestry.
“Papatoa is a practical programme that gives students an opportunity to gain hands-on training in all aspects of forest harvesting that the classroom can never duplicate.
“Students become familiar with the daily requirements of working in the forestry industry and gain mentorship by experienced loggers while working beside them and their tutors out in the forest. Their practical sessions are based on the theory component that they are learning.”
The course is broken into compulsory and elective elements. The compulsory elements are essential to cable logging, however the electives allow for students to specialise in certain areas of interest.
“Tu meke”, “beneficial”, “awesome” and “brilliant” is how Gisborne TWOA Papatoa cable logging students Jason Hemaloto, Te Ua Mairangi, Taz Paea and Alfonso Lima describe the course, which is giving them professional upskilling and industry training employment opportunities.
Students are provided with their own chainsaw pack and vital safety equipment to start them on their cable logging trade training journey.
Whirikoka Campus Papatoa tutor Ken Craig said the course scheduled to start in two weeks would take 14 Gisborne students.
Vacant spots are filling fast.