Millennium Plastics trainee receives surprise acknowledgement from Prime Minister

Newly qualified apprentice at high-precision technical moulding company Millennium Plastics Ltd, Vene Manutai-Esau, had the surprise of his life recently when he was awarded his trade certificate by Prime Minister John Key.

The Prime Minister presented Vene with his Level 4 National Certificate in Plastics Processing Technology while visiting-Millennium Plastics Ltd to find out what makes the award-winning company tick in a constantly evolving sector.

While visiting Millennium Plastics Ltd, John Key also toured the company’s facilities and acknowledged its employees who are working together to help give the business an edge in the Australasian market.

Vene’s trade certificate is the result of intensive on-the-job training.  It’s a career pathway he chose after attending Hamilton Boys’ High School.

General Manager Tony Rutz said Vene is just one example of how the company is recruiting, training and upskilling its employees to outpace New Zealand’s skills shortage and ensure Millennium Plastics Ltd continues to work at the top of its game.

“The strength of a business like this is its technical capability; so we have to have clever, capable people in our team with superior thinking skills and aptitude,” said Mr Rutz.

“When we receive a CV, we look at the potential opportunity right from the start and how the candidate can grow with our business.  Vene is just one example of how we’ve put career pathways in place to invest in and upskill our people, so that we can work at an international standard and retain our people in the long-term,” he said.

Vene has already had the full commitment of his employer through support and mentoring, on-job training, off-job training, and opportunities to learn new skills, and Mr Rutz said that’s just the start.

“The real icing on the cake will be Vene working as a Millennium Plastics technician, trained at an international standard.  We’ve given him the opportunity to get there, which is underpinned by a series of course work, online modules and overseas-based training,” he said.

“In the end, giving our staff exposure to this level of international training continues to lift Millennium Plastics Ltd’s capacity and capabilities, and we continue to work at a truly world-class level.”

Millennium Plastics Ltd designs, developments and manufactures high-end plastic products.  It works with clients in a range of industries, including dairy, animal health, electronics, medical and safety.