Building new ways of working to support Apprentices
In late November 2023, BCITO hosted its first Apprentice Leader Lounge for Timber Joinery apprentices. It was a perfect example of what a very real-time live learning session can look like.
The Live Lounge session was 30 minutes long. It was hosted live from the Sothern Institute of Technology (SIT) Invercargill campus and delivered by our Apprentice Leader Annie Theewis and SIT Tutor Phil Johnston.
The Apprentice Lounge event targeted first-year pre-off job training or block course apprentices. This lounge event focused on using fundamental hand tools and a “how to” and “not how to” maintain and sharpen these essential tools of the trade. The Lounge gave Phil and Annie a platform to deliver expert guidance and a place to ask questions and interact with tutors and other apprentices.
The invitation to the Apprentice Lounge was extended to all timber joinery apprentices so they could see and meet others in the trades, and the takeaway for them was the community of practice, which opened the door for them to share knowledge and skills with other apprentices.
BCITO is aware that events like this are only possible with the support of employers and are grateful for the 30 minutes of on-the-tool time provided to their employees to attend. Our Training Advisors also played a part in ensuring that employers knew about the event and promoted it. A big thanks to all those support crews
The next Timber Joinery Apprentice Leader Lounge is scheduled for mid-April, so keep an eye on your myBCITO notifications.
