Minister to introduce EPIC infrastructure careers campaign

24 Jul 2018

More gamers, trampers and sportspeople may soon be building and maintaining New Zealand’s vital water, roading and energy networks, thanks to a careers promotion platform designed to inspire career seekers and bring diversity to the infrastructure workforce.

EPIC Careers in Infrastructure will be officially launched at the Civil Contractors New Zealand (CCNZ) Conference in Hamilton on 2 August with an introduction from Minister of Transport Hon. Phil Twyford and CCNZ President Brian Warren.

Designed by CCNZ, EPIC is a career promotion platform designed to make working on Kiwi roading, water, energy and internet infrastructure networks more accessible to people who may not have otherwise thought of taking up the challenge.

CCNZ Chief Executive Peter Silcock said the initiative was long overdue, and opportunities in civil trades and infrastructure had been a hidden gem for too long.

“EPIC aims to show people the gateway to a successful career they can be proud of. That they can work as part of a great team in the outdoors instead of being stuck behind a desk. That they can build something they can point out to their children in 20 years’ time.”

Mr Silcock said with an exciting industry founded on technology and innovation, it was important for the industry and government agencies to work together to change public perceptions about working in civil trades, so a more diverse range of men and women could be inspired to make the most of the opportunity and begin to reap the rewards.

“We’re investing in finding the next generation of civil contractors. Once they’ve made a start, this is a great industry at recognising talent and giving people opportunities.

“People are finding their way into leadership roles very early in their careers. There are people who own successful businesses at age 24, and people whose lives have changed through experiences like working on the Kaikoura rebuild or Waterview Tunnel.”

At launch, EPIC will consist of a website at www.EPICwork.nz, social media channels on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram, with printed toolkits of posters, guides and more sent out to contractors across New Zealand to support them in spreading the word.

A digital toolkit has also been produced, with resources ranging from videos and images featuring work in the industry to social media posts for employers to co-brand and utilise in their own career promotion campaigns. Further content focussed on connecting people with opportunities more directly would be released later in the year.

Mr Silcock said EPIC was based around five themes known to attract people to the industry and remind contractors why they work in the industry. The key themes were technology, the scale of the projects and equipment, team spirit, working in New Zealand’s great outdoors and the massive difference the work makes to people’s everyday lives.

Minister Twyford said thousands of new workers would be needed in coming years to deliver on proposed new residential infrastructure and record levels of investment recently announced in the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport.

“EPIC gives New Zealanders a great insight into what a career in infrastructure is all about. There’s a lot of work coming up, and much of it is vital for our country to grow. We need a talented, capable workforce ready to make our safe roads to drive on, the water in our homes clean, and to create the quality energy and internet networks modern life demands,” he said.

Resources for CCNZ members are available for download from the Members Dashboard of the CCNZ website.

Young leaders and top training initiatives shine at civil construction awards

Courageous young leaders and top training initiatives have been recognised at the Z Energy People Awards and Connexis Civil Industry Training Awards, held on Friday 30 July in Wellington. Hundreds of people from across the civil construction industry attended the prestigious awards, presented during the The Contractors Conference at Te Papa.