On The Job: Training Advisor Todd Billing

When you ask Hawke’s Bay-based Competenz Training Advisor Todd Billing what he loves most about his role, the answer is clear: seeing the moment a learner realises they’ve got what it takes. It’s this passion for people—and a deep understanding of the challenges facing the wood manufacturing sector—that fuels Todd’s work supporting apprentices and employers across the central lower North Island.

With a background owning a fencing and a building business, followed by 23 years with Carter Holt Harvey Wood Products, Todd understands the pressures facing employers – and learners. He blends hands-on industry knowledge and a commitment to wellbeing (he’s even trained in Reiki), Todd brings a unique energy to his busy role. From championing learners , to backing businesses that go the extra mile for their teams, Todd is proud to be part of a sector that values skill, support, and heart.

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How much of your business ownership experience do you tap into when understanding the  needs of your current learners and employers?  

I think about my previous experience in business a lot. I find it helps me relate to what a company or organisation is trying to achieve and why, and what I can do to help them to achieve those targets. I can see both the perspective of an employee and employer and want to be able to help both sides make informed choices. I can have valuable conversations around the importance of building skills and knowledge from the ground-up, building stable foundations that enable the growth of both the individual and the business.

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What was your education like, and what would you tell your 15-year-old self today?

When I reflect on my childhood and my education, I feel disappointed that the education system at that time didn’t seem to support different learning styles or methods. Doing an apprenticeship or even being told that they existed never occurred, and I felt the classroom just wasn’t for me. I didn’t have the focus to sit and listen to a teacher talking hour after hour, or to sit down and do a test where words and questions just jumbled together.

When I left school, and I could do tasks physically and feel it tangibly, it made much more sense. This made it so easy when I went to classes later on in life.

What would I tell my 15-year-old self? Don’t stress, you have the smarts and ability to learn like everybody else in the world, but the method of learning may be different for you. Find your passion and then make it your goal to learn everything you can about it. Make yourself an expert in it and back yourself up with a qualification in it.

What are the biggest challenges facing apprentices at the moment?

I think the pace of the world right now is challenging. Production is faster, more efficient, not national but global, we can buy online goods 24 hours a day, and heck, you can in some places have your pizza delivered by drones. The pace is fast and getting faster. Taking time-out for personal activities or study is getting harder  in this changing environment.

To keep up we need devices and tools that didn’t exist 20 years ago, or even five years ago.  Training is having to adapt quickly to meet demands of learning such as on mobile devices coupled with on- job training.  So one of the biggest challenges - if not the biggest - is learning to adapt!

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“Todd is very much a people person. He listens to and understand the needs of the employers and learners that he supports, and he goes the extra mile to meet their needs. Todd is thorough in his planning and his attention to detail is second to none. He has established excellent relationships with those involved in the wood manufacturing and furniture making industries and is a valuable source of knowledge for all their training requirements.”

Eric Kneepkens - Competenz Regional Manager, Apprenticeships