Careers in windows & glass

Q&A with Keenan from Taranaki.

Glazier, within the Window and Doors sector.

What was your background before you started in the industry?
I left school at 16 and didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I had a few jobs – from working in the fitness industry to a warehouse role where I spent 12 hours a day in a –24° freezer!

How did you get into a career in glass?
I didn’t know glazing was an apprenticeship. My rugby club approached me and asked if I would be interested. The company I work for is a sponsor of the club. So I got pretty lucky.

How would you describe a typical day?
I’m now in the last five or six months of my apprenticeship, and the work varies. I could be visiting eight to ten different houses a day, working on anything from simple reglazes for broken windows to high-spec houses with walls of windows. Double glazing is a big one at the moment. And I also go into the car area with windscreens.

What do you enjoy most about your work?
It’s always different – never the same thing. Each day you are out and about, working with other trades.

What opportunities are there for training and career development?
There are lots. You can move into the office side of things and eventually run your own business. I’m applying for business management papers at BCITO as this is definitely something I see in my future.

What aspects of the work do you like the best?
The double glazing side of it. Especially the timber double glazing. It’s such a technical project with a lot of skill involved adjusting the frames. With timber, you’ve got to be accurate. There isn’t much room for error.

What makes your workplace a great place to be?
I’ve got a few good mates and the people I’ve learnt from have been unreal. There are three of us from my rugby club here, so we have quite a bit of fun.

What advice do you have for young people thinking about an apprenticeship?
I wish I’d got into my apprenticeship straight out of school. I didn’t realise the opportunities and pathways I would be presented with. Then I’d have been a lot further ahead. You can’t go wrong with a trade – you have a skill for life.

Q&A with Alta from Tauranga.

Metal processing manager.

What was your background before you started in the industry?
I used to be in nature conservation. In 2006, after relocating to a new town, I decided on a new career path. A job in the aluminium window industry was advertised and it sounded interesting. I thought, ‘a change is as good as a holiday’.

What attracted you to your current role?
When I first started, I saw all the profiles and I realised I could learn it. I am a technical person; I enjoy hands-on work and figuring things out.

How would you describe a typical day?
Busy! The morning picks up where the night shift left off. I have a daily start-up meeting with my team, and it’s my job to make sure the jobs run in the right order and the assembly area is never quiet – there is always a workflow. I ensure all the materials – timber liners and aluminium sections – get cut and the job lot is delivered to the assembly team.

What do you enjoy most about your work?
The learning. There is so much to learn and no two days are the same. The chase, the challenge of learning and making sure everything is right. That’s what keeps me ticking.

What opportunities are there for training and career development?
A lot. I recently completed a Dale Carnegie course on management and communication. It teaches you different ways to approach a matter to get the best from yourself and your team. I am currently doing a CompeteNZ Certificate in Competitive Systems and Practices – level 3, which is all about process. We learn about root cause analysis, process mapping, change management, and improvements in a manufacturing environment.

What makes your workplace a great place to be?
The people: I enjoy the interaction with the team. Also the fact that I have the opportunity to improve and develop systems to create a better workplace; it’s very satisfying.

What sorts of career paths are available to you next?
I am new in my current role, so need to prove myself here first. But, later, maybe something in process management or moving to another part of the factory.

Q&A with Leon from Waikato.

2IC and Lead Specialist Fabricator.

What was your background before you started in the industry?
I did six months in a part-time farming job.

How did you get into a career in windows?
My mate knew my boss and asked him to give me a job. I’ve been with the same company since I started my apprenticeship at 16 and I’m now nearly 21 and have completed three qualifications: the New Zealand Certificate in Architectural Aluminium Joinery – Machining and Fabrication Level 3, Installer with Repairs and Maintenance Level 4 and Joiner with Computer Numerical Controlled Machinery Level 4.

What attracted you to your current role?

The opportunity to learn, do something different every day and get a trade behind me. An apprenticeship doesn’t take forever, and once you have it, you’re never going to run out of work.

How would you describe a typical day?
Busy. I do all the ‘specials’, which is the custom stuff. I talk to the clients, cut the aluminium, prep and assemble it, and put the glass into the frame. The custom windows are more unusual, with different angles, and are typically for commercial buildings. So there’s lots of variety.

What do you enjoy most about your work?
Being in a hands-on job that’s not repetitive. There’s a lot to learn, so it’s always interesting.

What opportunities are there for training and career development?
With a qualification in architectural aluminium joinery, you can move into management and health and safety. And, of course, have your own business one day. Which is what I want to do.

What aspects of the work do you like the best?
The learning, diversity, and it not being repetitive. Even on the residential side it’s not repetitive.

What makes your workplace a great place to be?
A great crew – everyone gets along with everyone.

What sorts of career paths are available to you next?
Anything in building and construction and management. It’s a good time to be in the trade as the building industry is booming.

Q&A with Sandra from New Plymouth.

Windows fabricator.

What was your background before you started in the industry?
I was a merchandising supervisor for eight years in supermarkets and it was exhausting. I went to Taranaki Pine – I had never dealt with timber – but it was too heavy. I knew people at the aluminium windows factory, and they told me to drop my CV in. I had never done anything like that before. I got the job and I’ve been here just over a year now.

What attracted you to your current role?
Having tools in my hands. It is so me! Around the house, I am the one wanting to do projects. And being able to create something is really satisfying. I do long days and I could just keep going. I am in my happy place. It is really interesting to see aluminium turn into something – to turn a piece of metal into a sash and then into a window and see it set into a house; it all fits together.

How would you describe a typical day?
At the moment, I am making specials – like sliding and fixed doors. It’s quite varied. Some days I could be making sashes all day, and other days I am making windows. The aluminium is pre-cut and I punch it to put the screw holes in. I get the glass to make the sashes, then rubber them in. Then I put handles on. It’s quite involved.

What do you enjoy most about your work?
Being on the tools and seeing a finished product that I am proud of.

What opportunities are there for training and career development?
I could do an adult apprenticeship. For now, I have gone into making specials. So, if you are willing, and have the understanding, there is opportunity to move along the chain on to different elements. For example, at the moment we’re working on curved windows.

What makes your workplace a great place to be?
They are a great bunch of guys. They are only too happy to show me how to do things; nothing’s ever a problem. There is integration across the site and office teams, too – we’re all one big team. Even the bosses get their old clothes on from time to time and get into the workshop as well!

Q&A with Nathan from Nelson.

Residential glazier.

How did you get into a career in glass?
I left school and worked for a glasshouse fabrication company in Christchurch. I had the opportunity to join their crew and help build one of the biggest glasshouses in the South Pacific, here in Nelson. It’s 3 x 3 hectares in size, which is equivalent to three Eden Parks.

I enjoyed it so much that, when I turned 18, I applied for a job at Tasman Glass – now Viridian Glass – and stayed six years. I learnt all the old-school techniques, and when I left I was one of the head cutters, supervising three others and operating the cutting table.

What attracted you to your current role?

I had wanted to start an apprenticeship for some time and my employer in Nelson gave me that opportunity. I complete the apprenticeship at the end of the year and it feels good knowing I’ll have a trade behind me.

How would you describe a typical day?
We do all sorts. Today I’m doing a timber glaze on site, with 45 double-glazed units to put in. Yesterday, we were doing a balustrade and last week we were at a bank doing partition walls. I also help the boys on the cutting table when I get back every day.

What do you enjoy most about your work?
The good variety of work. You are never doing the same thing every day.

What opportunities are there for training and career development?
Once I develop my skills and experience, I can look at becoming a team leader and in charge of a crew. After that, there are opportunities to be a sales rep or glazing manager.

What aspects of the work do you like the best?
I do enjoy the timber retro-fitting and glazing. You have to really think about the job. It’s technical. Seeing the final product and the finished house looking mint is amazing.

What makes your workplace a great place to be?
The whole place! You walk in the door and you feel like you’re walking into a family home with your brothers and sisters and aunties and uncles. It’s an awesome family and I just love working there. We also have a good laugh on site.

What sorts of career paths are available to you next?
My goal in the next five years is to own my own business. I’ve been told by my supervisors that I can go far and am being encouraged to do that. I love doing the timber work, and if you do something you love, then it’s like a hobby, not a job.

I’ve also got the Apprentice of the Year Award firmly in my sights for next year.

Q&A with Roxy from Auckland.

Sales, marketing, accounts manager.

What was your background before you started in the industry?
I set the business up with my husband; he was in glazing for ten years. Previously I worked as an accounts manager for electronics companies. I have applied the same skills in this industry too, and have extended that with marketing. I learnt about marketing on the job – I did website development on WordPress, and took SEO courses at Unitec and through Google. It has been lots of fun, with lots of knowledge to pick up.

What attracted you to setting up the business?
I’m interested in construction and halfway through the course in quantity surveying with Otago Polytech in Auckland. I’ve started bringing what I’ve learnt in school into my practice – using these skills for pricing. And now I can talk to clients, builders and architects in more depth and in technical terms.

How would you describe a typical day?
I start in the morning by replying to emails and phone calls. When an enquiry comes through with drawings, I discuss with clients what they like and our recommendation. Then I develop a proposal and cost. Then I book a site assessment and there is discussion back and forth to finalise the contract. Then I hand off to the glazier team, and they book and complete the job.

What do you enjoy most about your work?
We are looking at more customised and innovative glass solutions. For example, we introduced Smart Glass, which is new to New Zealand. It can change from clear to opaque, or opaque to clear, in one second, via remote control. People are very excited by it, and I enjoy sharing the knowledge and product with clients.

What makes your workplace a great place to be?
I like the variety – no one day is never the same as the last. Many jobs bring new challenges, and we use our experience and skills to work out new solutions, which can be different each time.

What sorts of career paths are available to you next?
I would like to step into a more technical role where I can discuss things more deeply with clients, including building professionals. As well as the quantity surveyor skills, learning about glass innovations interests me. I also enjoy applying knowledge from the building code and glass standards so we can explain the solution in plain language to the homeowner.

Q&A with Jack from Auckland.

Senior foreman in commercial windows.

How did you get into a career in windows?
I started working part-time with a façade installation company when I was in high school. I joined them full-time in 2015 and then did an apprenticeship – the New Zealand Certificate in Architectural Aluminium Joinery: Installer with Repairs and Maintenance Level 4 from BCITO.

What attracted you to your current role?
My original attention was to work and save to do some travel, then go to uni. But after travelling, I came back to work and just really fell in love with the job. I enjoyed being outdoors and being part of a team. The work also challenged me, which was good.

How would you describe a typical day?
At the moment, I’m in a foreman role, looking after three or four teams of guys onsite, whether installing windows, flashing or cladding. I also jump on the tools if they let me.

What do you enjoy most about your work?
I love the teamwork and being surrounded by relatively similar people. Getting stuck into some work and seeing the end result is also a feel-good scenario.

What opportunities are there for training and career development?
There are more courses you can do to progress. BCITO offer supervisor and management courses once you have completed your apprenticeship.

What aspects of the work do you like the best?
For us, installing windows was always the big-ticket item. We’re up high, 20 or 30 stories, right on the edge. It’s exciting – you feel adrenaline pumping when you’re on the job.

What makes your workplace a great place to be?
I love working here; it has been my only job since I left school. My company really take an interest in us, and there is a big focus on individual development and making sure people are achieving their own personal goals. Which is great for me, because I want to develop my career.

What sorts of career paths are available to you next?
My foreseeable career goal is to be a full-time site manager and have full control over a site.

Q&A with James from Dunedin.

Window processing & design.

How did you get into a career in windows?
I was 17 and working at Burger King, when my neighbour jumped over the fence and offered me a job. He was a sales rep for a local windows company and knew I liked making things. I started with unpacking metal, moving onto making sashes and windows, then to making conservatories and doors, where I found what I love. It’s like Lego for adults!

What attracted you to your current role?
After completing my apprenticeship and 10 years working as a fabricator, I was curious to see if I could do the design side of it. Because I can make it all in my head, it makes it easier to design it on the computer. I was thrown in the deep end with the software, but within two years, I was really proficient. I’ve been five years in the office now, working on design and drawing. I go onsite every now and then to learn about the bigger commercial jobs.

How would you describe a typical day?
A sales rep will sell the job, then go to the site and do a full measure. Then it’s up to me to design it to code – the right strength, glass size, etc. Then I order all the products and materials. The next stage is assembly – getting all the design drawings completed and printed with the schedules and job sheets for the fabrication team.

What do you enjoy most about your work?
Having control over the way it’s designed and knowing what would look good and what won’t. The sales team ask me what’s possible and I can give options and visualisations. I also support the fabrication team, training new staff as they are so busy. If I’m ahead on my own work, I can also put my boots back on and help out.

What opportunities are there for training and career development?
If you want to draw windows and conservatories for fabrication, I reckon it’s best to do a few years of fabricating first. It helps you design it when you know how to make it.

What makes your workplace a great place to be?
We have good, happy people who love having a laugh. Good music. Work doesn’t feel stressed; we enjoy it. And a lot of us get along outside of work. It’s like a wee family. And the boss cares a lot and wants us to succeed, so we get great support.

What sorts of career paths are available to you next?
My next step will be project management and site measures – to get onsite and look after the bigger jobs. I’d like to do more commercial.