November 1, 2011
Two new scholarships of $1,000 each are being offered to EIT Trades School students by New Zealand’s leading wine bottling company, WineWorks.
Today, 18 students from EIT’s Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Trades courses toured the WineWorks operations in Hastings to get a first-hand look at the processes and technologies that are involved in getting New Zealand wine to the world once the winemaking process is completed.
Welcoming the students to WineWorks, and commenting on the new scholarships, WineWorks Managing Director Tim Nowell-Usticke said: “We are really keen to encourage regional skill development and promote awareness of career opportunities in the ‘industrial end’ of the wine industry.
“New Zealand is not only a world leader in producing fantastic wines, but we also have world class infrastructure in terms of bottling, labeling, storage and distribution. And these aspects of the industry require a huge range of technical skills – across mechanical and electrical engineering, to quality control, supply chain logistics and transport. We hope your visit to WineWorks today and being considered for these new scholarships will encourage you to further develop your skills and that some of you will consider careers in this part of the industry in the future,” said Mr Nowell-Usticke.
EIT will be graduating over 50 students with Level 2 Certificates in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering this year. According to Todd Rogers, Head of EIT’s School of Trades and Technology, the involvement of business is critical to supporting and encouraging students to continue on with their apprenticeships.
“We’re very pleased to have this support from WineWorks. Not only is the financial assistance that these scholarships offer our students greatly appreciated, but also WineWorks’ commitment to helping us further develop the trade capability of New Zealand’s workforce and broadening our students’ understanding of the career options that lie ahead for them,” said Mr Rogers.
The WineWorks Scholarships will be awarded to the Best All Round Achiever in the 2011 EIT graduating classes in both the Certificate in Mechanical Engineering and Fabrication Level 2 and the Certificate in Electrical Engineering Level 2. The recipients will have achieved at a high level academically and technically, and will also have demonstrated strong personal attributes including effective communication skills, a positive approach to problem solving and teamwork, and enthusiasm and commitment.
The recipients will be announced at the EIT Greenmeadows Rotary Apprenticeship Awards in May 2012. WineWorks is also establishing two similar scholarship in conjunction with Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT).
Further information:
Tim Nowell-Usticke , Managing Director, WineWorks, tim@wineworks.co.nz
Todd Rogers, Head of School of Trades & Technology, EIT, trogers@eit.ac.nz
