Jayden Jensen

Jayden Jensen knows what can be achieved through perseverance after becoming a qualified builder. 

His route to becoming a tradesman had a few twists and turns but he says he got there through sheer determination.  

Jayden’s journey started while he was still at school in Turangi and enrolled at Toi Ohomai to study carpentry through the Secondary Tertiary Partnership (STP) programme. But that only piqued his interest.

After school, Jayden and his partner moved to Australia to check out the opportunities available across the Tasman. But when they came back to Turangi for Christmas, Jayden says they realised they were homesick and wanted to move back.

“During that time, I was looking around my town for a job. I ended up working as a labourer for an electrician.”

Jayden also did a stint with a Taupō building company, but he didn’t like the travel, so he was stoked when one of the builders, Chris Smith, approached him to work for his business, Building Central, as an apprentice." 

Jayden says he had just been offered an apprenticeship with the electrician but he knew the opportunity with Chris was too good to turn down because it would help him achieve his childhood dream of becoming a builder.

So, he signed up with Chris and completed the theoretical requirements through Toi Ohomai. He had a brief stint working in the building industry in Auckland during his four-year apprenticeship, but  missed living in Turangi so he and his girlfriend moved home again.

Jayden says he was grateful that Chris was willing to take him back on. He says he owes Chris for being willing to support him and teach him the skills he needed to be a builder.

“I did a lot of renovations and also built decks and fences. I didn’t really do any commercial work and eventually I wouldn’t mind exploring it, but for now want to stay in Turangi.

“I know I’ve still got a lot more to learn, but when I get more confidence I want to get into house-flipping. I’ve been talking to some of the guys who do it and they reckon it’s easy, so I can’t wait to give that a crack.”

Jayden says he also appreciated the support from Toi Ohomai during his apprenticeship. He says most of his learning was done on site, but he attended night classes to learn the theoretical knowledge he needed and staff from Toi Ohomai would come out to check his work and sign it off.

“It was always great being able to catch up with the tutors and trade some stories or get some advice.”