A B:HIVE based mother and daughter team are on a mission to promote the trade industry.
Trade Jobs NZ founder and director Colleen Getley, who has 30 years of experience in HR and recruitment, joined her designer daughter Kim to establish Trade Jobs NZ in May, 2020.
The aim was to provide a purpose-built platform for the industry and grow the reputation of trades people.
“It’s great because we have different skill sets,” says Kim. “Mum in HR and recruitment, and me in advertising, marketing and the creative side.We have a close relationship and say it how it is – we respect each other’s side of things.
Both spotted a gap in the market when they started Trade Job NZ.
Covid created growing demand. Increased building activity and government-backed infrastructure projects, combined with border restrictions reducing the flow of skilled workers into the country, has meant the industry has been facing a skills shortage for some time – 178,000 tradies are needed in New Zealand.
They also want to improve the reputation of tradespeople.
“Tradies across the board for a long time have had a bad rap,” says Kim. “Oh, you drop out of school and become a tradie is the thinking. In reality, it can mean earning incredible money and it is really reliable.”
Trade Jobs NZ also educates tradies themselves about how to get a job. Word-of-mouth is the most common go to – nearly 60% rely on it.
“They often go through Facebook, but it is not always going to work if you are hiring your mate’s cousin,” she says.“It also might not be the best way to find your dream job.”