Success Stories

Michael Tu

Modern Apprentice mechanic, Michael Tu, ( Te Aitangi a Mahaki) has come a long way from his days at Waikohu College when he didn't really know what he wanted to do. A one-week overview course at Gisborne Development Inc in 1999, which Michael really enjoyed, led to his decision to enrol in the Rangatahi Maia Skill Enhancement automotive engineering course at GDI in January 2000. This was followed by a Pathway to apprenticeships course in January 2001 at Gisborne Development Inc and he has not looked back since. Doing the courses locally knocked off about two years from his apprenticeship and the tutors pushed Michael along and kept him motivated.

An integral part of the course content at Gisborne Development Inc is on the job training. Michael carried out work experience at several local automotive workshops with the positive outcome of full-time employment at Watts Motors, Gisborne in August 2001 run by Brian Watts, Owner/Manager. Modern Apprenticeships Co-ordinator Chris Hatwell, (also C.E.O. of Gisborne Development Inc) saw the potential for Michael to do well and has watched him mature from his early days in 1999 as a cheeky teenager to a hardworking young adult with definite goals and a desire to succeed in 2002.

Michael has continued to study and complete his units of learning and in addition to the goal of completing his Modern Automotive Apprenticeship modules as soon as possible, he is also studying a Honda NZ apprenticeship through correspondence. He also wants to gain experience in other facets of the organisation at Watts Motors and works in the truck shop when required and runs the parts departments on weekends, so his job is quite varied. He finds his career as a mechanic challenging and enjoys both driving the expensive cars as well as working on them whilst learning a skill that's basically universal no matter what country you live in.

When asked if he would encourage other young people to follow the Rangatahi Maia path, Michael's advice was, "It's really something for people to make up their own minds about, but my suggestion is to 'Go for it! It's much better than sitting around all day doing nothing."