‘Speed dating’ scheme for recruits goes nationwide

A government-backed training scheme in Waikato that employers compare with "speed dating" for recruitment is set for a national rollout after strong early hiring results in manufacturing.

The Earn as You Learn programme combines paid work rotations with classroom study. It aims to reduce hiring risk for firms and open new entry routes into manufacturing careers for school leavers and other new entrants.

The pilot scheme launched earlier this year in the Waikato region.

It was developed by local manufacturers with Advancing Manufacturing Aotearoa, Wintec, the Waikato Engineering Careers Association and Workforce Development Council Hanga-Aro-Rau.

Students spend three days a week working across participating factories and two days a week in class at Wintec's Rotokauri campus. They rotate through three employers over a 30-week period.

Industry groups say the approach has produced one of the highest completion and employment rates seen in a manufacturing training course. They also say it is changing perceptions of factory work among young people and parents.

The initiative sits against a tight labour market for production roles. Manufacturing, engineering and logistics firms in New Zealand face a projected shortfall of 157,000 workers over the next five years. The sectors currently employ around 220,000 people across 23,000 firms and contribute eight percent of GDP and 60 percent of export earnings.

Samantha McNaughton, Deputy Chief Executive of Hanga-Aro-Rau, said the design of the programme reflected employer needs.

"This programme brings together the strengths of classroom learning and in-work training in a way that genuinely reflects what employers need. Learners gain a recognised qualification while being paid, and employers get to see how they perform in real workplaces, which creates a practical and scalable way to close the workforce gap.

"We need tens of thousands of people entering manufacturing over the next five years, and without targeted initiatives like this the gap will only grow. Many young people have never seen modern manufacturing up close, but once they step inside these workplaces the outdated stereotypes fall away.

"This collaboration works because industry was clear about the skills they needed and education listened, creating a pathway that benefits learners, employers and the wider economy," she says.

The first Earn as You Learn cohort has now completed the New Zealand Certificate in Manufacturing Level 3. Seventeen learners met all course requirements.

Nine of those graduates have already secured full-time roles with their host companies. Two other learners were already employed before they started the course.

Industry figures involved in the pilot describe that transition rate into permanent roles as unusually high for an entry-level programme.

APL Manufacturing is one of the Waikato firms that hosted students during the trial. General Manager Howard Fountaine said the on-the-job model changed how his business approached recruitment.

"This is the closest thing to speed dating for recruitment. Instead of a half hour interview, we get ten weeks with each learner, so the risk almost disappears because we already know how they work before offering them a job.

"These kids have genuinely surprised us with their engagement, aptitude and on the job analysis, and some have come in well above what we would normally expect at entry level. Of the ten students we hosted, we would have hired nine if positions were available, and we even held vacancies open because the calibre coming through was so strong.

"Two have already stepped straight into trainee leading hand roles, which shows the capability in this group. It is rare for a pilot to need almost no changes, but we may have got the recipe close to right because the structure has absolutely proved itself," he says.

Fountaine said the 10-week placements made hiring decisions easier and reduced the time managers spent dealing with unsuitable recruits. He said APL began holding vacancies open months in advance in expectation of future cohorts.

Other Waikato manufacturers have reported similar experiences. Longveld Engineering and Hansa Products have described themselves as very satisfied with learner quality.

Stainless Design has highlighted improved problem-solving and teamwork among participants. Aircraft maker NZAero has called the scheme essential for its long-term talent pipeline.

Changing perceptions

One of the stated aims of Earn as You Learn is to shift attitudes about industrial work. Employers say many young New Zealanders still see manufacturing as low-skilled or lacking in progression.

Participants on the programme spend time in factories that use modern production methods and digital tools. The organisers say this direct exposure gives learners a more accurate view of the sector.

Host businesses in the Waikato include APL Manufacturing, Stainless Design, NZAero, Gallagher Group, ES Plastics, Hansa Products, Longveld, Stafford Engineering, Action Manufacturing, Loadscan and Supreme Stainless.

Graduate Nathaniel Lua, now a machine operator at APL Manufacturing, entered the pilot after turning down a professional rugby contract overseas. He said the course offered him a more secure option.

"I was offered a professional rugby contract in Hong Kong, and for a lot of people that would sound like a dream. But at 18, the idea of moving overseas on my own with no real security didn't feel right. In rugby you are only ever one injury away from everything ending overnight, and I didn't want my whole future resting on something that fragile. This programme gave me something far more stable - paid experience, a qualification and a chance to understand what modern manufacturing actually looks like.

"A lot of young people have a really dichotomous view of manufacturing. They think you are either a basic process worker on the line or you need a four-year engineering degree to get anywhere. I thought the same. Once I got inside the workplaces, I realised how wrong that was.

"The stereotype of low-skilled factory work disappears straight away. There are pathways into engineering, business, leadership and advanced technical roles that completely changed what I thought my future could look like. It showed me I could build a long-term career at home, stay close to my family and still aim high," he says.

National rollout

The successful pilot has prompted plans for expansion beyond Waikato. A regional steering group is managing a phased rollout in Lower Hutt, Canterbury and Auckland.

Lower Hutt is scheduled to run the programme next year. Canterbury is due to follow in 2027.

Organisers aim to grow annual graduate numbers from 17 in the first year to between 100 and 150 by 2027. They say this will rely on more firms volunteering as host employers and on sustained demand from students.

The first graduation ceremony for Earn as You Learn will feature Minister for Manufacturing Chris Penk presenting certificates. The event marks an early milestone for an industry that expects significant labour shortages over the coming years.

Fountaine said the model addressed a gap in how the sector brings in new workers.

"This programme has delivered exactly what industry has been asking for. It gives young people real work experience, gives employers confidence and reduces recruitment risk. It is a game changer, and now it is going national."