Young learner in a manufacturing workshop wearing high-vis overalls

Earn as
you learn.

Start here.Go further.

Paid workplace days. Real manufacturing experience. Skills for what comes next.

How it works

Three days in a workplace. Two days in class. For thirty weeks.

Rotate through three manufacturers and work towards a recognised qualification. Get paid for your workplace days.

30.
weeks

Industry-led programme

3.
days

Paid workplace learning each week

2.
days

Classroom learning each week

3×10.
weeks

Rotate through three manufacturing businesses

Work towards the New Zealand Certificate in Manufacturing (Level 3)

A recognised qualification, built while you work.

Qualification
Why rotate?

Three workplaces. A much bigger view of what's possible.

Ten weeks at a time, inside three different manufacturers. Same programme, three real environments.

Young woman in a white lab coat working in a manufacturing laboratory
01Weeks 1 to 10
First workplace
Mentor and learner working together at a manufacturing workbench
02Weeks 11 to 20
Second workplace
Young man standing in front of automated manufacturing machinery
03Weeks 21 to 30
Third workplace

Every rotation, learners experience different

businessestechnologiesproductsprocessespeopleworkplace culturesroles
Try different things. Build useful skills. Work out what interests you.
Start here.Go further.
What you'll learn

Eight modules. Skills you use on the floor.

Each module opens into a short, plain-English explanation of what you'll do and why it matters.

Choose your region

Where could you start?

One programme, delivered by a local education provider with host manufacturers in your region.

Education provider
Wintec
Wintec Rotokauri campus
Delivery area
Hamilton
Current programme statusApplications openWant to see it first? View the Waikato Open Day
Host manufacturers
9 businesses in Waikato
APL Manufacturing
ES Plastics
Gallagher Group
Hansa Products
Laminex
Longveld
PPL Group
Stafford Engineering
Stainless Design

Each learner rotates through three host businesses in their region. Placements vary by intake.

Entry requirements

Could this be for you?

You must be 17 years old before the programme starts.

We're looking for people with the right attitude, a willingness to learn, and a desire to build their future.

Young woman in a welding helmet and high-vis overalls smiling in a manufacturing workshop
Career Pathways

Where could it lead?

Earn As You Learn is more than a qualification. It's a launch pad into a wide range of careers, further study opportunities and future leadership roles.

Directions you could explore after the programme. Not guaranteed outcomes.

Young person standing in front of a single-engine aircraft in a manufacturing hangar
Production OperatorManufacturing TechnicianProcess TechnicianProduction CoordinatorCNC Setter
What happens next

Your next step depends on your region.

One action block, driven by the region you chose above. The page stays the same. Only the status and the button change.

Your region
Waikato.
Current programme status
Applications open
Rhys, an Earn as You Learn learner, operating industrial machinery in a workshop
The employer(s) are very helpful. They offer help all the time and do not get upset at your mistakes, they just teach you the correct way to do the job.
Rhys
Earn as You Learn learner