| 27 T T Kelly Deeks Young workers proving their worth The vehicle adaptation company was a finalist in the Mayoral Taskforce for Jobs Youth2Work Wairarapa Youth Friendly Award. Wairarapa Business Awards - Braiden International REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Carterton’s Braiden International has been lauded for its commitment to the development of local rangitahi at the 2024 Spark Business Hub Wairarapa Awards, where the long-standing vehicle adaptation company was a finalist in the Mayoral Taskforce for Jobs Youth2Work Wairarapa Youth Friendly Award. Braiden International started out with the design and manufacture of ‘Gentle Giant’ wheelchair lifts and other products to enable people with disabilities to travel in a vehicle. The focus now is on customising vehicles to suit any client’s individual needs. With contacts and suppliers from around the globe, Braiden International offers a large range of products to suit different needs. Add to this the Kiwi can-do attitude, and Braiden International can design and manufacture a bespoke solution for any client who cannot source an off-the-shelf option. The company has been extraordinarily busy since Covid, when new-vehicle supply issues saw deliveries delayed for up to two years. As soon as overseas vehicle manufacturing came back up to speed, Braiden International started taking delivery of both recently ordered vehicles and vehicles whose supply had been delayed. “Normally we’d be getting two or three vehicles a month, but these supply issues have seen us receive up to 15 in two days,” says Braiden International workshop manager Jason Swanson. “The nature of our work means we can’t employ unskilled people and put them straight on to the job. We really need people with an engineering or mechanical background.” But Jason couldn’t find any. One who did turn up for an interview had been looking for a job for nearly a year after completing a yearlong automotive engineering course at UCOL on leaving school. Jason thought at least this guy would be able to step in and take charge of the delivery tasks, wash the vehicles, empty the rubbish, and clean up the workshop, leaving Braiden International’s skilled staff to work on the vehicles. ”So we got him, and very quickly discovered he was more than just a ‘boy’. One of our guys had him doing a bit of welding and he was really good. I wasn’t expecting a young person with no work experience to be working at that level.” This new employee has been part of the Youth2Work Wairarapa organisation, which contacted Jason to see whether he needed any more support. Jason told them he needed more people like his new charge. He was given the CVs of three potential candidates and employed two of them. Jason says he has employed young people in the past and been put off. “They’re on their cell phones all the time. I told these guys I would give them a three month trial and it would be their attitude that keeps them here. If they’ve got a good attitude, I can work with that.” Braiden International’s new employees are on their phones sometimes, but now it’s to share on their socials all the images of the work they are so proud of. They are showing interest and skill in different aspects of Braiden International’s process, from CAD design to auto electrics and even carpet-laying. Every Friday, they have time set aside specifically to learn something new from the company’s skilled staff. “The hands-on experience is so important. We do so many different things here and it’s up to the guys how far they want to go with it.” As well as their underestimated skill sets, these new employees have brought some fresh energy into the Braiden International workshop. “They are so keen, they make us keen. We’re thrilled to see a group of young boys taking videos of the work they’re doing and sharing them because they’re so proud of what they’ve achieved.” Enabling independence together. Providing specialist transport assessments throughout the North Island including Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, Wairarapa and Wellington 0800 687 748 www.otrs.co.nz Offices in Hamilton and Lower Hutt Wairarapa’s local 24/7, independent, family owned, expert towing business that assists private, commercial and government customers with recovery towing and storage. GET IN TOUCH 0508 WAITOW (0508 924 869) wairarapatowing@xtra.co.nz
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