Some businesses proactively promoted Finishing Trades careers as viable alternatives to university education. However, concerns about potential pushback from some secondary school advisors emerged, hindering the recruitment of skilled tradespeople.

Te Pūkenga (BCITO) collaborated for apprenticeships, yielding beneficial outcomes, and demonstrating commendable mentoring and support. Yet, sector representatives emphasised the need to intensify universal trade promotion efforts. Engaging individuals of all ages to consider 

Finishing Trades as viable career paths was deemed essential.

Representatives highlighted the crucial role of training providers in mentoring apprentices and facilitating their trade qualifications, aiming to dispel stereotypes surrounding trade jobs. They emphasised the significance of showcasing job satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment derived from creating tangible products to change perceptions about these careers.

Necessitating a comprehensive promotion strategy encompassing all Finishing Trades beyond secondary schools, representatives urged career advisors, including those from Government agencies like the Ministry of Social Development (MSD), to actively champion apprenticeships.

Recognising Government involvement's importance, representatives identified it as a key factor in addressing sector challenges. Mitigating the financial burden of training apprentices and motivating businesses to invest in their development necessitated crucial financial support for training workers.

While progress was evident in evolving perceptions of trade careers within secondary schools, representatives underscored the need for further advancement in this domain. Positive trends in consumer acceptance of kitchen and bathroom design as a legitimate profession were observed within the Finishing Trades.

However, the media's influence on public perception emerged as a challenge requiring attention.

"Ultimately, we need to spread the word that trades are a solid career choice. A trade provides job security and global opportunities. To attract more people, regardless of gender, we must actively promote the value of trades as a lifelong and rewarding career path."

" One of the major issues we face in the industry's workforce is the lack of people entering the trade. We've been actively reaching out to high school careers advisors to promote trades as a viable career option."

"BCITO has been great for our apprentices. They provide valuable mentoring programmes and play a big role in helping our apprentices qualify in their respective trades."

"We need to attract people from all walks of life, including women. It's important to catch them young and show them the opportunities available in the trades."

"Secondary schools are becoming more open... we appreciate when careers advisors aren't so tunnel-visioned and are accepting of us coming and talking to their learners, which is cool."

“But on the other hand, one of the impacts on our industry are those programmes that create an unrealistic picture... what they do is still a little bit polluted by mass media."