Years spent gaming may be giving some young New Zealanders an unexpected head start in the modern trades, as automation, robotics and digital technology transform traditional workplaces.

Industry training organisation Competenz has coined the term Joystick Trades after hearing the same story from apprentices across the more than 30 sectors it supports - young people who grew up gaming are finding skills developed behind a controller increasingly relevant in the workplace.

From advanced manufacturing and forestry to refrigeration and signmaking, strategic thinking, problem solving, spatial reasoning, resource management and the ability to quickly learn complex systems are proving valuable as trades become increasingly technology-driven.

Competenz National Manager Apprentices Kevin Withell says the organisation is seeing a natural confidence with technology among many younger apprentices.

“It’s actually really amazing how some of these young people are coming through, and they have, like, a natural affinity for technology. It’s kind of like they’re hardwired.”

Two strong examples are Competenz plastics apprentices Josh Felise-Anderson and Brendan Sekene, who work as Plastics Technicians at Pact Group in East Tamaki, Auckland, where robotics and automated machinery are part of everyday production.

Josh, Plastics NZ’s 2026 Plastics Learner of the Year, says he quickly recognised a connection between the gaming he enjoyed growing up and the work he was learning to do.

“I used to play a lot of video games when I was younger. I kind of related that to my job. Just fine-tuning these machines and setting them up, I really felt like I liked doing that kind of thing.”

His mother used to tell him gaming was “ruining his brain”, but Josh now sees it differently.

“I actually think it opens your mind because it’s the strategic type of plays you’ve got to make to get ahead. There’s definitely an art to it.”

Josh describes himself as a class clown who never felt particularly at home in the classroom. Through his apprenticeship, however, he discovered an aptitude for robotics and automation and has since created operating guides for new robotic systems to help colleagues learn the technology.

Kevin says that willingness to engage with unfamiliar technology is something Competenz is seeing more widely.

“When you put a new piece of equipment into a factory, or you’re working on something that’s very, very technical, they’ll step forward and step into the technology. Josh has helped write ‘how to’ guides in standard operating procedure manuals, supporting his team to learn new machines.”

And the crossover between gaming and modern trades isn’t confined to Gen Z or millennials.

At Auckland advanced manufacturer Buckley Systems, which produces electromagnets used in particle accelerator technology, 51-year-old Competenz learner Maika McMath says gaming sparked his fascination with technology, led him to build his own computers and ultimately helped steer him into advanced manufacturing. He sees strong parallels between assembling a gaming PC and assembling the complex electromagnets he works with today.

Similar stories are emerging from across the varying industry sectors Competenz supports. Forestry apprentices operate sophisticated harvesting machinery using joystick controls, refrigeration technicians work with increasingly digital systems, while signmakers and manufacturers are adopting automation, AI and advanced technology.

Kevin says one of the challenges is ensuring young people know these career options exist.

From 2029, nine new industry-led subjects are planned for Years 12 and 13, including Next-Gen Manufacturing, Engineering Technology and Applied Intelligent Systems, giving students greater exposure to vocational and technology-based career pathways while still at school.

“It’s time for change. The new subjects should give secondary school students a taster or, at the very least, a much broader awareness of what some of these careers can actually look like.”

And he admits his perspective on gaming has shifted at home as well as at work.

“You’re talking to a father who, at times, thought about taking the Wi-Fi modem to work with him to try and get his son out of his bedroom.”

Now, he says, the challenge is helping young gamers recognise that some of the abilities they are developing could have applications well beyond the screen.

“They’re great at problem solving, they think really fast, they’re really nimble. The next step is to say to Mum and Dad and to their school’s careers advisor, ‘How can I leverage this into a job?’

“The first step is to come out of your bedroom.”

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