Next Gen

Next Gen Opportunities

We have all sorts of opportunities available to our Next Gen Members. Just take a look at what’s on offer.

 

FREE MEMBERSHIP | DIGICOMM25EVENTS | RESOURCES  | NEXT GEN AWARDS | MENTORMIX | INDUSTRY OPPORTUNITIESSHARK TANK SCHOLARSHIPS

 

Free Membership


Next Gen membership is for all those in training in the construction industry - students, cadets and apprentices. Kickstart your career journey with the best industry connections across the construction sector.


Not a member yet? Sign up now! You’ll need to show proof of current enrolment/training.

 

Events

Next Gen members get the same benefits as full members for free and discounted Institute events – check out what’s coming up.

We are holding Next Gen Welcome events: 13 March - Pōneke | Wellington, 21 March - Tāmaki | Auckland, 27 March Ōtepoti | Dunedin, and 4 April - Ōtautahi | Christchurch - register on our events page. 

 

DIGICOMM25

DigiComm25 was one-day conference on Thursday 20 March 2025 at Aotea Centre in Tāmaki | Auckland.

 


Thanks to the Institute’s Charitable Education Trust we were able to provide the funds for 24 of our Next Gen members to come along for free. Assisting our Next Gen in attending our major events is something we always aim to do so keep an eye out for opportunities in the future.

Resources

We have a bunch of resources you could find very helpful in your learning and career journey. Check out our Industry Insights seminars (45 minutes each), Light Lunch webinars (15 minutes each), and our Tall Stories podcast where you can hear about the varied and interesting career paths people in this industry have been down. 

 

Next Gen Awards


Our Next Gen Awards gives you the chance to be recognised for your passion and potential with prize money and industry recognition.

 

Important dates:
Entries open 2 April 2025
Entries close 9 May 2025
Finalists will attend the NZ Building People Awards 2024 on 8 August 2025 in Pōneke | Wellington where winners will be announced.

Find out more.

 

MentorMIX


After a successful 2025 pilot of MentorMIX we are running the programme again in 2025.

Key dates:

5 March - Call for Mentors went out

26 March - Applications open for Mentees

April - September - MentorMIX programme runs 

 

About the programme:

The Institute of Building is a pan-industry organisation which means our members come from a range of backgrounds and roles. With the MentorMIX programme, our mentees (Next Gen members who sign up for the programme) will be able to meet a range of mentors through online and in person (location dependent) sessions. It will be nationwide and will give mentees a taste of different roles across the sector i.e. Project Managers, Architects, Design Managers, Site Managers.

 

Why join MentorMIX?

  • Meet diverse mentors from across the construction sector, including Project Managers, Architects, Design Managers, and Site Managers.
  • Flexible mentoring approach – connect with different mentors to gain insights from various roles and perspectives.
  • Career guidance & networking – build lasting relationships and gain practical advice to support your professional growth.
  • Online and in-person options – tailored to fit your schedule.

 

Want to sign up? 

Register your interest as a mentee here. 

 

Industry Opportunities 

 

Further Study Scholarships

A new program that has been launched by BCTF providing financial support to individuals who are completing further study in courses aligned to the construction sector. The scholarships are provided to individuals to have successfully completed study up to Level 4 (NZQA) and are currently or wish to complete further study helping them and the industry improve and lift standards. 

Find out more and apply at BCTF

Check out other scholarships currently open through BCITO. Applications close soon so be in to be considered – apprentices and employers.  

 Apprentice of the Year

Registered Master Builder's Apprentice of the year competition is open to all carpentry apprentices. Entries were open 8 March 2024 - 12 April 2024. Keep an eye out for 2025. 

ArchEngBuild 

Are you a final year student studying either architecture, engineering or construction management in New Zealand and interested in being part of the ArchEngBuild Challenge? ArchEngBuild offers a fantastic opportunity for students where they can expect an intense 3 days of hard but hugely rewarding hands-on work.

Nominations are open for 2025.

Find out more about being involved. 

 

Shark Tank Scholarships


In 2023 as part of celebrating 40 years of the Institute we held three events around the motu and gave out a total of $12,000 to students who impressed our Sharks (industry and Institute representatives) with their pitches. It’s tough being a student right now and for many, money is tight. We wanted to help students studying in the built environment to focus more on their studies and less on the stress of living costs.

The successful students gave a ‘shark tank’ style pitch where they spoke about their passion for the industry, a project they had worked on, or even just themselves.


Read about our 2023 winners:

Heather Huckle – Ara

Grace Budge – Ara

Maggie (Shengyao) Hu – Massey

Leana Petrie – Victoria University of Wellington

Jackson McGarvie - Victoria University of Wellington

Maia Flint - Victoria University of Wellington

Matthew Lloyd - Victoria University of Wellington

 

 

 

Thank you to all our sponsors for their generous support

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