Training for 900 rebuild workers

Last updated 13:25 01/11/2012

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A new training scheme will prepare 900 new workers for the Christchurch rebuild, says Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee.

Speaking at the Mount Pleasant Yacht Club this morning, Brownlee said a new training and employment programme would be set up to attract workers into the trades needed.

A scheme run by the Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team (Scirt), together with the InfraTrain training body, would aim to recruit 900 new workers over the next year for the rebuild.

The training would include six to 14 week courses for new entrants and on-the-job training for others.

Brownlee said jobs would be guaranteed for new entrants who completed the training and met industry requirements.

"The size of the infrastructure repair job should not be underestimated," said Brownlee.

"To date SCIRT has laid 19km of fresh water piping, 70km of waste water piping and 5km of storm water piping, yet the team is only 12 per cent of their way through the rebuild and repair of horizontal infrastructure.

"Roughly 1020km of road will need rebuilding, which is half of the city's urban sealed roads.

"This is a huge job and we will all benefit by up-skilling workers to carry out the work over the next five years."

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