Aspiring butchers at CITC are sharpening up their tools, “excited” to be the company’s first students in the Skills4Work New Zealand Trade Butchery Apprenticeship.

The three-year course aims to enhance their expertise in meat processing and butchery techniques, as well as boost their professional development to provide high-quality products and services to customers.

April Mana, CITC’s training manager, said: “We are very proud of our first three butchery apprentices, and look forward to rolling out this course for more of our staff to get qualified and pick up new skills.”

“We are committed to the continued growth and development of our team at CITC.”

Ngaoa “Maine” Richmond, Ailaoa Samania and Viriona Makaua, who are team members in the Fresh and Frozen division at CITC Supermarket, are delighted and even more motivated having completed their first year of apprenticeship.

Richmond has been employed for six years. She is thrilled to be on the path to becoming a qualified butcher.

“I just love it, I love this place,” she said. “I’m learning all the cuts, working on the band saw and watching how it’s all done.”

Although she loves her job, Richmond says some of the challenges has been having to deal with the “not nice difficult customers”.

Samania is stoked to be given the chance to upskill.

“This is a good opportunity for me and I want to take it and do this well,” said Samania.

Even though he has been struggling with the reading aspect of the apprenticeship because he left school a long time ago, Samania perseveres.

“I take all the help from our very good tutor.”

Samania enjoys his job.

“I like meeting new people and talking to people, even the angry customers, but I won’t mention names,” he added.

Makaua has been on the job for around four years.

He is “happy” to take on the challenge of the apprenticeship.

“This is lucky opportunity for me. I like cutting meat, and I like to know what I’m doing,” said Makaua.  

Corey White, the Skills4Work Butchery training advisor, from Aotearoa New Zealand is working with apprentices and mentoring young up and coming butchers.

Having worked in all aspects of the industry, White made his mark winning the 2018 Butcher Apprentice of the Year and finalist in the 2021 Pact Packaging Young Butcher of the Year competition in New Zealand.

He is a member of the Hellers Sharp Blacks Team who will be travelling to France next year to compete.

White was on the island last week to guide and assess the CITC apprentices in theory and practical training.

“So far so good, we’ve got our first year done,” he said, praising the achievements of Richmond, Samania and Makaua.

This is the first time Skills4Work has offered and conducted the butchery apprenticeship outside of New Zealand.

“It has been a really good opportunity not just for our business but for myself as well to come in and pass on a bit of knowledge and get to meet these guys,” says White.

“I’m very passionate about butchery and it’s really cool what these guys are doing.

“It is a lot of work, and I do remember how much work it involves.”

CITC’s David Rangi Tuoro, Fresh and Frozen manager, and Nigel Campbell, butchery manager, are both excited and proud to see the upcoming butchers enthusiastic, and enjoying the apprenticeship.

Tuoro says it’s nice to have someone pretty much at the top of their game to come and share their skills.

“It’s been really good, and with Nigel coming on board it’s all been positive.”

Campbell noted that there was a need for everyone to get trained up to a qualified level, not only for the supermarket, but for the customer benefit too.

“They’ve done really well, it has all been positive,” he said. “When they are qualified, they can help train other Cook Islanders.”

“So hopefully it carries on and just gets bigger and bigger, and they get financial benefits.”