Plumbing, Gasfitting and Drainlaying

• 5 Years Plumbing + Gasfitting + Drainlaying

• 4 Years Plumbing + Drainlaying

• 3 Years Gasfitting

• 2 Years Drainlaying

There are four main components to your training as an apprentice:

1. The learning and experience you gain on-job
2. The Online learning modules you work through
3. The Online assessments  you complete
4. The practical block course you attend with a provider

During a normal working day you will gain practical and workplace skills under the direction of your boss or supervisor. Industry knowledge and theory will be gained when you work through your online learning modules and subsequently attend a provider for your off job practical assessments. These forms of learning are designed to be done side-by-side.

There are two main components to your training as an apprentice:

1. The learning and experience you gain on-job
2. The practical block course you attend with a provider

During a normal working day you will gain practical and workplace skills under the direction of your boss or supervisor. Industry knowledge and theory will be gained when you attend block course modules and subsequently complete your on job assessments.

When you sign up, you’ll need to choose a training provider.

Below is a list of the training providers you can choose from.

One of the best things about being an apprentice is that you’re earning while you’re learning. That means you don’t need to fork out for large student loans or work multiple jobs.

Even more good news: Since the New Zealand government is right behind getting people into trades, they help subsidise your training.

This apprenticeship doesn’t have a fixed cost because it’s based around competency. This means you finish when you can prove to your assessor that you can do the job. Because of this the cost is worked out “per week” and covers all your training. After the government subsidy, it will cost you $59.00 per week.

Please note: Te Pūkenga makes every effort to ensure that the information provided on this website is accurate and up-to-date. However the information given, including fees information and the availability and structure of courses, are regularly reviewed and no warranty or representation is given about the ongoing accuracy of such information. All fees may change without notice. Te Pūkenga does not accept liability for any losses or damage that happen directly or indirectly from you relying on the information on this website.

Block Course 1 is being increased from 3 to 5 days from February 2024.

This provides the following benefits:

• Learners will be better equipped for their learning journey early on — Allowing 5-days for Block Course 1 will provide learners with a great start to their apprenticeship. They will receive a thorough introduction to the online portal which means they will be well placed when it comes to submitting assessments throughout their apprenticeship.
• Dates of Block Course 1 will be known sooner — Timetabling of Block Course 1 will be accurate and known much earlier than in the past. This is because there will no longer be prerequisites for learners to attend, so they won’t need to wait for enough of their peers to become eligible for a block course to be scheduled. This is great news for employers and learners because they will be able to plan ahead for Block Course 1 with more confidence.
• Learners likely to have completed block course within first four months—Employers can also take comfort knowing that learners are now likely to be able to complete Block Course 1 within the first 4 months of their apprenticeship.
• Pre-requisites removed — there will be no eligibility criteria or prerequisites required prior to a trainee being allocated to Block Course 1. The five theory units that learners used to do prior to attending Block Course 1 will now be thoroughly covered at the block course itself.

These theory units are covered in the table below.

The decision to extend the duration of the block course was made following feedback from Industry. This included positive industry feedback around pilot testing of the extended block course and online induction.

Frequently asked questions