Canterbury school leavers will be able to earn a wage while gaining a nationally recognised manufacturing qualification under a new industry-led training programme.

Canterbury will become the first South Island region to offer Earn as You Learn, which combines formal study towards the New Zealand Certificate in Manufacturing Level 3 with paid workplace experience.

Advancing Manufacturing Aotearoa, Ara Institute of Canterbury and ChristchurchNZ have partnered with six Christchurch manufacturers to deliver the programme.

HamiltonJet, Argus Manutech, ENI Manufacturing, Enztec, Taurus Engineering and Taylors Manufacturing will each provide learners with hands-on experience through a three-workplace rotation.

Up to 20 people will be accepted into the inaugural Canterbury cohort.

Advancing Manufacturing Aotearoa chief executive Catherine Lye said the programme would provide young people with a direct pathway into the industry.

“This is much more than a traditional manufacturing qualification,” Lye said.

“Learners are paid from day one, gain an industry-recognised qualification and build real-world experience across multiple workplaces while developing the skills employers are looking for.”

The programme was first piloted in Waikato in 2025 and is now expanding into Canterbury, Auckland, Bay of Plenty and Hutt Valley.

Lye said rotating through three businesses would expose learners to different manufacturing processes, technologies and workplace cultures.

“One of the biggest challenges facing manufacturing is helping young people see what a career in the sector can look like,” she said.

“The best way to change perceptions is to get them inside the businesses, working alongside people who are designing, making and exporting products to the world.”

HamiltonJet chief operating officer and Canterbury Earn as You Learn regional business lead Rob McKenzie-Carroll said manufacturers needed to work together to address persistent skills shortages.

“Earn as You Learn allows us to develop the next generation of talent rather than competing for the same small pool of skilled workers,” McKenzie-Carroll said.

“It gets young people onto the floor, alongside the robotics, the machining and the engineers designing products that are exported around the world.

“A lot of people still picture manufacturing as it was 30 years ago. When they see what it looks like today, the conversation about manufacturing as a career option changes completely.”

Ara Institute of Canterbury will deliver the educational component of the qualification, working with participating manufacturers to connect classroom learning with practical experience.

Ara chief executive Darren Mitchell said the partnership reflected the role vocational education should play in connecting learners directly with industry.

“By combining high-quality, skills-based learning with paid experience across leading local manufacturers, we’re giving young people a clear and supported pathway into rewarding careers while helping industry build its future workforce,” Mitchell said.

“Ara is proud to work alongside employers and regional partners to turn learning into career opportunities for the people of our region.”

ChristchurchNZ general manager of innovation and business growth Martin Cudd said manufacturing was a cornerstone of the Christchurch economy.

It supported some of the city’s fastest-growing sectors, including aerospace, cleantech, healthtech and the bioeconomy, all of which depended on skilled people working in advanced manufacturing, he said.

Lye said the programme would benefit learners, employers and the wider Canterbury economy.

“For manufacturers, this is about building the talent pipeline. For students, it’s about opening the door to a sector full of opportunities,” she said.

“For Canterbury, it’s about ensuring our young people and our manufacturing businesses can grow together.”

Year 12 and 13 students, parents, whānau and schools are invited to learn more at an Earn as You Learn Manufacturing Open Day at HamiltonJet on Saturday, October 17.

Attendees will be able to meet the participating manufacturers, explore a working manufacturing environment and learn more about applying for the programme.