You can enrol at any time during the year and start on almost any Monday.
(We close over Christmas and New Year)
You will need to have an interview at your local branch before you can be accepted onto this course.
2012 fees are $5206.00 (Fees for this course are set by the Western Institute of Technology. For more information or for course fees for international students please click here to go their website). This course is accredited for loans and allowances through StudyLink.
*You will need to provide your own safety footwear for use in the workshop and on work experience. Footwear needs to have an "S" mark to indicate it has been manufactured to comply with New Zealand standards. You may also need a work experience tool kit. Your tutor can advise you of reputable suppliers in your area. If you are elibigle for StudyLink loans and allowances, you may be able to claim these as course costs.
As an education provider, we strive to give you excellent value for your money as well as personal support to make sure you get the best out of your learning. We do our best to assist you into employment or apprenticeship at the end of your course and, with our Modern Apprenticeship Service, we are well placed to support you throughout your apprenticeship too.
Our learning system means you have access to our purpose designed e-learning programme which gives you colour photographs, video's, interactive exercises, and text which has been written so that it is easy to read and understand. Alongside this you also have the BCITO Theory Resources, and will sit the same theory assessments as apprentices do.
All our learners have an Individual Training Plan that maps out the progress you need to make to complete your course. Your tutor will meet with you regularly to check on your progress and see what support you need to keep on track.
We believe in ‘... the challenge of achievement’. We support and challenge you to achieve personal standards of excellence.
Phone Head Office on 0800 876 4664 or
Click here to request an information and enrolment pack.
Once you have filled out your enrolment form, phone the branch to make an appointment for an interview. Click here to see branch information.
Take your completed enrolment form along with an original or a verfified copy* of your birth certificate or passport, and any school qualifications you have to the interview.
A verified copy is a copy that has been taken of your original and signed by a Justice of the Peace or an officer of the court to say they have seen the original. If you have any questions about this, please phone our enrolments officer Morgan, on 0800 876 4664.
Once you have had your inteview, the branch will send all your documents to Head Office for processing. From there it will take about 10 days to process your enrolment. At your interview you can discuss an appropriate start date.
Once you have been assessed as "work ready" and if you are up to date with your individual training plan, we will support and encourage you to do work experience where a suitable placement can be arranged. On work experience you will meet real employers and increase your chance of getting a job or apprenticeship at the end of the course. You will also learn what work on a real construction site is like.
No. One of the work experience rules is you are not paid while on work experience because you are still "On course".
You will spend some time each week in the workshop, but the purpose of the course is for you to learn the theory knowledge for the industry. You will get the opportunity to use and improve your practical skills when you are on the job. We aim to give you the theory skills and knowledge you will need to be a competent and safe construction worker.
Our tutors are able to spend some time helping with your reading and maths. We find that all the pictures in e-learning help our learners understand and learn about carpentry. We have also specially written the text in this programme to make it easy to understand, so you can concentrate on learning the theory. If you are concerned about this, talk to the tutor or branch manager when you come in for your interview. You can also try out our e-learning programme to see if you think you will be able to learn from the computer screen (remember there will be learning resources to go with the e-learning and your tutor will be there to support you as well.)
Because you can start at any time of the year, we have no term or semester breaks except Christmas and New Year. Once you have been accepted onto your course you will receive an individual training plan and offer of acceptance which will have your own scheduled holiday breaks included. This will be 4 weeks, including Christmas and New Year if you are studying over that time).
The National Certificate in Carpentry (L4) is the usual qualification for a builder in New Zealand. It is a recognised qualification for builder licensing.
The Certificate is made up of 236 credits (about 80 unit standards), half of which are theory and half practical. To achieve the complete National Certificate you will need to complete all the theory units and all the practical units.
The practical units are completed while on your apprenticeship. Theory units can be completed by a pre-trade course (such as this course) before you start your apprenticeship or by night course or distance learning, while on your apprenticeship.
For more information on this qualification you can go to the BCITO website or NZQA