Luckily, Education Unlimited and BCITO Te Pūkenga have teamed up to break down those barriers, providing learning support to carpentry apprentices with dyslexia and dyscalculia. The partnership sees Education Unlimited Learning Disorder Specialist Jeanie Raffills work one-on-one with select apprentices, helping them navigate the BCITO portal, and keep up with the formal, theoretical side of their training.

“Dyslexia and dyscalculia are recognised as learning differences, not disabilities – they’re different ways to learn. The apprentices I work with are really good at their jobs, in fact their bosses tell us they’re awesome! Practically speaking they’re brilliant, but it’s the bookwork that’s overwhelming for them,” explains Jeanie.

By supporting neurodiverse apprentices through the more formal aspects of their mahi, Jeanie is empowering them for successful and rewarding careers in the industry. Not only that but she’s helping to create a more resilient workforce, and an industry that benefits hugely from diverse thinkers, doers and creators.

“Dyslexic people have so many skills and capabilities, they can see a whole picture. They’re the kind of people who can visualise the whole house finished before the first nail has even been hammered in. These higher order thinking skills are a huge asset in an industry like construction.”

Jeanie works one-on-one with tauira (learners) for an hour a week, usually via Zoom, kicking off with an assessment to determine which particular areas they need support with. The number of sessions they receive is determined on a case by case basis.

“That initial assessment takes about two hours and is a really good way for me to get to know them. Some of them are quite reluctant at the start, they’ve failed at school and their whole life it’s been drummed into them that they’re not smart. But once they realise that I’m there to support them, not judge them, their attitude changes.

“I’ve just finished with one apprentice who really wasn’t keen at the beginning but now he wants to continue with me beyond the 20-week programme. He said the one-on-one sessions have made such a difference in his life and he would never have opened his BCITO silver case without them.”

That silver case is jam-packed with theoretical learning and includes four big boxes covering all aspects of their apprenticeships. Jeanie helps apprentices navigate the contents one box at a time, through sessions that focus on everything from loading photos into the BCITO portal to sending emails, reading and comprehension.

“Every session we break things down into simple chunks. I read to them, they read to me, we do as much spelling as we can, and lots of comprehension. I work with each learner in a very intuitive way, somehow I sense what they need and what will help them. I think that’s a very special gift. I’m also pretty relentless because I’m trying to squeeze as much out of my time with them as I can - at the end of the hour they’re shattered!”

Reading and pronouncing trickier vocab is often a key focus. “One apprentice told me he was self-conscious because he couldn’t pronounce words like galvanise, so we broke it down visually to a girl (gal), a van, and eyes. Once he looked at it like that, it was easy.

“Another apprentice I work with built a deck and the client was so impressed with his and his workmate’s craftmanship that he sent an email to his employer and posted about it on a blog. The apprentice read both of these testimonials out to me during one of our sessions and I was blown away. When I’d started with him ten sessions earlier he was a very reluctant reader. I commented on how far he’d come and he said ‘Jeanie, I’ve taken your advice and I’ve been reading to my daughter regularly’. Daily reading and regular exposure to the written word makes a huge impact on progress.”

Jeanie has been working with neurodiverse apprentices since 2008 and in that time has supported hundreds of tauira to complete their apprenticeships and build rewarding engineering, plumbing, gas fitting, mechanical and construction careers. She has also supported many tradies who have been in the industry for years.

“Some of the guys I’ve worked with would be in their 60s and they never knew they had dyslexia – they’d always struggled but never knew why. It’s such a joy to be able to make a genuine difference to these people’s lives, it feels like I’m adding some light to their life.

“It’s about making it simple, easy and practical, and most importantly believing in them. I always remind my apprentices you can do this, you are great at your job!”