Hi, I’m Cory Jones. I am a 25-year old fencer from Tokoroa in the South Waikato. I have been fencing for 4.5 years – starting out in Otago with Custom Fencing, before moving home to start Jones Agri Fencing.
I am currently completing the Certificate in Fencing Level 4 course after finishing Level 3 earlier this year. The Level 3 course is mainly directed toward the basic aspects of fencing, including tractor maintenance, health and safety, tools and standard fencing techniques (knots, stays, and different styles of fences) whereas the Level 4 course is more pointed towards people management, quoting and designing fence lines and yards, which is very helpful for new business owners. I was pleasantly surprised with some new skills I learnt from the days with reps and talking to other fencers on these courses.
I decided to be involved with these courses to start on the pathway to becoming a Certified Fencer. Before becoming a fencer, I did my time and became a qualified builder. I see the pride and accomplishment in becoming qualified in a trade and think it’s a great way to get people into our industry. These courses are a very achievable way for people to upskill and earn qualifications for the hard work they do.
The tutors for both Level 3 and 4 have been awesome. Greg Burton (the tutor for my Level 3 course) is a very knowledgeable man and goes out of his way to share his wealth of knowledge. He is someone I still go to now for advice with being a new business owner. David Horner, my tutor for the Level 4 course, is very helpful and also goes out of his way to offer his help. Both are happy to take time out of their days to spend time with everyone, to help with anything from basic to top level skills in the industry.
One of my favourite things from these courses is meeting other like-minded people who have a similar passion for the industry and are happy to bounce ideas and discuss different ways to achieve the best possible job we can do. The only thing I struggled with was the time off work for the Level 3 course.
Being a new business owner last year, it was hard to have two days at course a month. But I am glad I made it work. And the idea of being able to say I’m a Certified Fencer and give my staff the same opportunity makes it something we wanted to be a part of.
I’m stoked with how FCANZ is helping to get the fencing industry the recognition that it deserves as a trade. For anyone on the fence about doing these courses, jump in and get amongst it. Help FCANZ push us to be leaders in our industry and get our staff the recognition they deserve for the hard work they do for us.
Cheers, Cory.
Article written by Cory Jones
www.facebook.com/jonesagrifencing
Published in the Professional Development Feature in WIRED Issue 71 / December 2023 by Fencing Contractors NZ
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