PART of the team at Te Kūiti Glass, from left, Jake Patterson, Ariarne Smith and Neal Jackson.
By Paul Charman ONE day at the beginning of 2019, the planets seemed to line up for Te Kūiti Glass boss Neal Jackson. It was the day Work and Income’s Mana in Mahi Programme sent young Jake Patterson down to apply for the auto reglazing apprenticeship the business was advertising. Fast forward to September 6, and Jake, now aged 24, has completed his National Certificate in Auto Reglazing (Level 3) and become an integral member of the team at the King St West business.
EFFORT REWARDED To Neal, this illustrated a couple of things, firstly that young people could still find trades which challenged and rewarded them locally and secondly that employers could still find apprentices worthy of the time and effort it took to train them. Because as much as staff at the busy operation needed to perform accurately and consistently, they also needed to blend in with and support colleagues, particularly during high workloads that generated potentially stressful times. “All of which Jake has been able to deliver – it was a good day when he showed up,” Neal said. Jake said that in his view auto glazing was, “basically the same as any trade job”. “You just need to know how to measure and have all the safety precautions. “You can’t go wrong really if you know all that.” A Piopio boy from age eight, Jake attended local primary and secondary schools and enjoyed all the outdoor activities that were the “perks” of living in Waitomo, and having the rugged West Coast nearby. “When you live in an area most of your life you get to know all the best spots. “This area has great hunting, fishing, walks, hikes and kayaking; I’ve got to know the country roads like the back of my hand.”
CHANGE OF CAREER But upon leaving college a few years ago Jake’s first foray into mechanical engineering was not a great success, despite reaching Level 2. “I went down to MSD [Ministry for Social Development] and asked if they had any jobs and they sent me here. “I came for the interview, and they offered it to me afterwards. “You’re a bit closer to everyone in a place like this than you would be in a big city outfit. “It’s been good for me – I felt a lot better about myself after beginning work here.” On their part, Jake’s colleagues made it clear that his good personality was part of the reason things had worked out so well.
BUSY ON A GOOD DAY On “a good day”, they might replace six or seven windscreens plus tackle numerous stone chip repairs, dealing well with stress was a necessary part of the job. As for the work itself, Jake described it as varied but not overly difficult. “It’s not too bad, often just cutting out an old windscreen and putting in a new one with a few tricks in between. Even so, in every part of modern life technology had moved ahead and auto glazing was no exception. For example, some windscreens had collision detection cameras that required recalibration when replaced. An auto glazier also had to be prepared to replace every piece of glass used in a modern vehicle: side and rear windows and mirrors as well as windscreens.
IMPORTANT And cutting out new windows for the heavy machines used in road construction or agriculture (diggers, tractors and the like) was an important part of the job.Meanwhile, by skillfully pumping resin into small stone chips and curing the repair with UV light, Jake and his colleagues were expert at preventing small chips growing to the point of jeopardising an entire windscreen. He admired how modern laminated glass protected people in vehicles. In contrast, the toughened glass of old used to shatter or explode in a crash. The latter was now only used in some side glazing, and if so, that was the only time a glazier had to get out his or her vacuum cleaner to remove the tiny pieces of shattered glass spread throughout the inside of a vehicle.
JOB SECURITY “There’s plenty of job security in this job – we won’t run out of customers any time soon,” said Jake with a humorous dig at ongoing road works along SH3 and elsewhere in the King Country, which kept his industry prospering.
