Jim Kennedy Training & Conference Centre

In 1982 a dream came true for many when Tasman Pulp and Paper opened the Tasman Apprentice Training Centre. The facility was established to provide best practice training for all trade apprentices employed on the Tasman site at that time.

This facility has seen a few changes in its time, and a stalwart was the late Mr Jim Kennedy who was passionate about apprentice training and passing on his knowledge to others working in the maintenance trades. Jim was involved with the centre for at least 26 years until his death in 2010, including the National Centre for Maintenance Excellence which operated from the complex.

Norske Skog Tasman who owns the facility has recently entered into a lease agreement with the Kawerau Enterprise Agency (KEA) Inc for the complex and sold the 3 surrounding portacom buildings to KEA.

The complex has been renamed the Jim Kennedy Training & Conference Centre and will continue to be used as a training facility with the establishment of a conference venue planned for early 2012 to meet the needs of the local and surrounding communities.

KEA has also purchased the plant and equipment to enable ongoing training to be available for apprentices and others in the Eastern Bay of Plenty region. This will be held in Trust, meaning it will remain in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. The plant and equipment will be added to the Training Capability at Metal Tech Education Ltd located in the Manukorihi Industrial Park at Kawerau.

KEA, together with Metal Tech Education and Waiariki Institute of Technology plan to survey local Engineering Labour requirements to ensure relevant training will be delivered.

KEA’s Executive Director, Helen Stewart, said that “it is a privilege to be able to build on the past endeavours of so many people, and retain this great range of equipment for its original purpose of training apprentices and our engineers of the future. The buildings lend themselves to ongoing training and development and conferences.

With other partners on board such as Transfield Services, Waiariki Institute of Technology and MetalTech Education, the transition from NST to KEA has been effected really smoothly and the future looks very promising. Due to the quick transfer of lease and ownership we have not yet been out to the community for feedback but will be talking with more businesses in 2011”.

KEA is pleased to announce that Transfield Services began training their apprentices on site as from 10^th January 2011. The majority of the site is being utilised by trainers for a range of industries.

A Conference facility will be developed in 2012 to cater for larger groups of people than can be currently housed at the KEA Centre in Kawerau and there will also be office space available to rent.

For further information please contact:

Helen Stewart
Tel: 07 323 7377
Mob: 0275 963 686
helen@kea.org.nz