Skills Trades Training

Stoked to celebrate Bryleigh Scannell, winner of the 2026 Bunnings Women in Apprenticeship Award.

Out of 1,203 nominations from across New Zealand, Bryleigh was selected as one of just six nationwide winners. Her commitment to the trade, the respect she's earned from her peers, and her passion for encouraging more women into plumbing made her stand out.

Bryleigh completed her plumbing apprenticeship at our Dunedin campus, and we were honoured to be there on the day alongside the team from Foleys to see her take home a well-deserved $12k prize pack.

She's gone on to become a brilliant ambassador for the trade and for Skills. We're proud to have you in our corner, Bryleigh. 🙌

Skills Trades Training was proud to attend the Southland Girls in Trades event, organised by Great South, who invite local schools to hear from women in trades about their journeys and experiences in the industry.

Our third-year electrical apprentice Ellie Smith joined the panel and shared her journey into the trades, what a typical week looks like, and what she enjoys about her role. She connected really well with the students and was a brilliant representative for Skills Trades Training.

A big thank you to everyone who joined us for our whānau evening with our Pre-trade Electrical students at our Christchurch campus.

It was great to bring students, whānau and our team together to connect, share kai, and celebrate what our ākonga are achieving. The highlight? Watching students walk their families through the wiring projects they'd built that day.

Ngā mihi to all who came along and made the evening such a success. 🙌

Two Otago tradies, one big milestone.

Congratulations to Kellan Crowie from Milton and Andrew Perrin from Balclutha on finishing their electrical apprenticeships. Now qualified tradies!

It takes years of hard work, on-the-job learning, and real commitment to get there. Well done to you both! 👏

Running a trades business in regional New Zealand isn't just about being good at the job. Chris Baylis, co-owner of Evergreen Plumbing in Hāwera, knows that better than most.

"Plumbing is one job. Running a plumbing company is another."

Chris started through a school gateway programme and came up through an apprenticeship. Today he runs a team, trains his own apprentices, and is building the kind of business that keeps regional New Zealand's infrastructure running.

Evergreen trains their apprentices through Skills Trades Training, who manage the formal training and pastoral care while Chris focuses on building his business and his people. Last year we supported more than 1,000 plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying apprentices across New Zealand.

Because building people is how you build an industry.

Read the full story: https://m2now.com/how-to-go-from-operator-to-business-leader/

Sharing some photos from our Hamilton campus Pink Shirt Day 2026, including our best dressed winners!

Reducing bullying starts with building environments where everyone feels safe, welcome, and included 🙌

Yesterday, Skills Trades Training hit the Tāhatu Career Expo in Dunedin!

It was great to see everyone get stuck into Got Skills, our own spin on a classic guessing game using real trade industry terms and keywords.

We were there to inspire high school students to consider a career in the trades, and if we sparked something in you, link in bio to find out what we have to offer. 👆

At our latest campus meeting, we took a moment to recognise some outstanding Electrical and Plumbing pre-trade students from our Christchurch campus who've really stepped up this past month - excelling in both their practical training and theory, and showing genuine dedication to their trade.

Stoked to celebrate their hard work and the commitment they're bringing to their journey every day. 🙌