Having completed his secondary schooling at Verdon College Sam successfully applied to undertake the automotive pre apprenticeship course at the Southern Institute of Technology. In 2005 he was offered an apprenticeship with Southern Group Training and is currently on placement with New Zealand Aluminium Smelters Ltd.

To complete the Level 4 National Certificate in Automotive Engineering Sam must complete a range of unit standards comprising both theory and practical elements. Sam’s off job theory training is being provided through correspondence and through a week long block course each year.

As a Modern Apprentice Sam has his own Modern Apprenticeship Coordinator who has developed an individual training plan for him which sets realistic goals and timeframes to achieve them in.

The Coordinator meets with Sam on a regular basis and is available as a mentor to both Sam and his supervisor.

Sam is required to maintain a record of all the tasks he completes in a Record of Work folder which is required to be signed off by his supervisor once the supervisor agrees that Sam has achieved the required competency level. Failure to maintain good records can add considerably to the length of time it takes to complete an apprenticeship.