First year apprentices' experiences in the workplace

Project Summary

Belonging, becoming and being identifies the factors that influence apprentices' decisions to enter into and commit to an indenture. 

The key findings from this work show that:

• individuals need help to match their ‘vocational imagination’ with workplace realities
• support is required to help novices establish a sense of belonging to a workplace
• assistance is required to maintain engagement and momentum for apprentices’ to complete their apprenticeship.

Guide for apprentices An additional guide for apprentices, Being an Apprentice, has also been produced. This is in print and online. You are free to adapt this work under the Creative Commons Licence as long as you credit the author/s and license your new creations under identical terms. To order a copy of this guide, email: info@akoaotearoa.ac.nz

Target audience

• practitioners involved in workplace learning
• individuals who support apprentices
• apprentices and their whānau

Project team

• Selena Chan (Contact Project Leader), Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology
• Dr Robyn Chandler, Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology
• Tracey Shepherd, Agriculture ITO
• Charles Hayward, Boating ITO
• Loretta Garrow, Building and Construction ITO
• Mary Kingsbury, Competenz
• Erica Cummings, Hairdressing ITO
• Glen Keith, Hospitality Standards Institute
• Deb Paul, Joinery ITO

Project funding

$79,630 GST exc.

Key dates

• Project commence: early 2010
• Project completed: November 2011

The report from this project is published under the Creative Commons 3.0 New Zealand Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike Licence (BY-NC-SA). Under this licence you are free to copy, distribute, display and perform the work as well as to remix, tweak, and build upon this work noncommercially, as long as you credit the author/s and license your new creations under the identical terms.

Outputs 

Presentation given at the 2011 Ako Aotearoa Research in Progress Colloquium

Presentation about the project at the Ako Aotearoa Research in Progress Colloquium 2010 (clink on ppt image to left)

Keynote presentation at the NZ VET Research Forum 2012: First year apprentices' experience of workplace learning (2.35 MB PDF)