Construction workers Thomas Monaghan and Cameron McIntosh are looking to add quantity surveying to their skillsets after each being awarded a study scholarship worth $6000.
Since 2016 UCOL, Manawatu Kilwinning Lodge No. 47, and Registered Master Builders have partnered to deliver the Freemasons Willson Lewis Scholarship for qualified tradespeople in the construction industry wishing to upskill.
Thomas Monaghan, a Junior Project Manager at
Shane Stone Builders in Whanganui, says he will be studying the New Zealand Diploma in Construction with the aim of advancing to a Project Manager role.
“I’m looking forward to the next couple of years. It’s going to be tough work but I’m ready to see where it takes me. I’m keen to get a broader overview of the industry, because Project Managers need to know all aspects; the Quantity Surveying strand of the diploma is going to help a lot and could open up some more doors for me in the future.”
Cameron McIntosh, a Construction Manager for
Landmark Homes Manawatu and former UCOL Carpentry lecturer, will also be using the scholarship to complete the Quantity Surveying strand of the New Zealand Diploma in Construction.
“Already being a project manager in the construction industry, studying Quantity Surveying will add another string to my bow and make me useful in a range of aspects of the construction industry; not just as a project manager or builder.”
“I already have the first year of the diploma under my belt, so getting this scholarship is awesome because I can now finish it.”
UCOL Executive Dean of Engineering and Applied Technologies Danny Reilly says UCOL is proud to partner with Manawatu Kilwinning Lodge No. 47 and Master Builders to provide scholarships for programmes which produce high-quality graduates.
“We have great engagement with our stakeholders. The thing that really spins our wheels is students getting jobs, and we can’t do it without the industry. The graduates of these diplomas are the very best that employers can get. We know that because we have a 95 percent employment rate over the past three graduations.”
The scholarship is named in honour of long-time Manawatu Kilwinning Lodge No. 47 members Jim Willson and Sam Lewis, who both ran significant construction businesses in the Manawatu. Their estates provided the initial funding for the scholarships, with additional funding coming from Freemasons Charity, Master Builders Manawatu branch, and UCOL.
Pictured above: Freemasons Willson Lewis Scholarship recipients Cameron McIntosh and Thomas Monaghan with (from left to right) Danny Reilly (UCOL Executive Dean of Engineering and Applied Technologies), Paal Iversen (Master Builders Manawatu Branch President), Malcolm Pettman (Manawatu Kilwinning Lodge No. 47), and Darren Shadbolt (judging panel member and UCOL Interior Design Lecturer).