Name: Andrew McCracken
Course: Certificate in Fencing (Level 3)
Andrew McCracken has been fencing since he was young and currently runs his own fencing company in Wellington, Big Dog Fencing. But that didn’t stop him from enrolling not only himself but also the two men working for him on the NZ Certificate in Fencing (Level 3) at NorthTec | Te Pukenga.
“My main aim for doing the course was to get certified,” Andrew explains. “There’s a lot of government work available in Wellington and to put in a tender for it you need to be certified. I started fencing when I left school and I know how to do it all, but I never got the qualification.”
Despite already knowing how to fence, Andrew and his workers all got something out of the course.
“It was definitely a worthwhile thing to do. It’s like any industry, there’s always change. There might be a better way to do something for one reason or another, because products change or technology changes. So, I think it’s important to keep up with that and stay relevant. It was a great course in that aspect.”
“The two guys working for me are young and, like a lot of labourers their age, they never finished school or got NCEA. They did find some of the written aspects of the course hard, but they got through it and are really proud of themselves. It’s something no one can take away from them, they will always have that qualification to fall back on and prove they can do the job whether they are working for me or not.”
Andrew has since enrolled in the Certificate in Fencing (Level 4), a course specifically designed for those running their own business or wanting to start their own business.
“It’s a much more technical course and will go into the yard design and business management side. It’s all online or in-work study, so it will be much easier to fit into my life as well. I’m looking forward to it.”
Article supplied by North Tec | Te Pūkenga
www.northtec.ac.nz
Published in the Training & Events Section in WIRED Issue 70 / September 2023 by Fencing Contractors NZ
