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Clayton McNae from McNae Group
Electrical Employer
Dan Birks

Clayton McNae shares how structured apprentice training helps McNae Group grow its team and build capability for the future.

Trade Electrical
Company McNae Group
Location Palmerston North
Employer Story

Meet Clayton McNae

With more than 40 years’ experience as an electrician, and over 30 running his own business, Clayton McNae knows what it takes for apprentices to succeed, and the value of structured training.

Palmerston North-based McNae Group is a family operation, with Clayton’s wife Diane as Director and Administrator, and sons Wesley and Harley also working in the team. The company employs 34 staff, including 13 apprentices completing their training through EarnLearn.

 

For Clayton, training apprentices through EarnLearn isn’t just a training pathway, it’s a practical solution to grow capability while supporting the wider industry.

 

“We like to see our industry growing. And training people, which we enjoy doing, is one way to do that while growing our business.

 

Supporting apprentices to succeed is a company-wide effort. One initiative, led by senior electrician Wesley McNae and his wife Ashleigh, is a regular study and pizza night at their home.

“It keeps apprentices up to date with their off-job assignments, as well as their on-job sign offs. Wesley is an assessor so he can sign them off, and they have access to all our systems so they can find jobs and CoCs to keep everything on track,” Clayton says.

The sessions help apprentices manage the juggle between work, study and life, particularly early on.

 

“We’ve been doing those study nights for the past two years and they’ve been a huge help in keeping everyone on track,” Clayton says.

 

The other key to success, says Clayton, particularly with a large group of apprentices on the books, is having good systems in place to keep track of progress.

 

“This means the tradesman they’re working with knows what they’ve been taught, that it’s been signed off, and who signed it off, so they can be confident leaving the apprentice to do a particular job, like fitting a hot point or clip a cable.”

 

For Clayton, there is a clear business case for taking on apprentices, but also a personal one.

“It’s not just seeing them get their qualifications, it’s satisfying to see them hit all the little milestones along the way.”

He adds that it’s also important to remember a big part of being a good tradesman is about being good at the non-technical aspects of the job. “Be tidy, clean up after yourself on the job, be polite to the customers. It’s about doing a whole job you can be proud of – not just about making something go.”

Through EarnLearn, McNae Group is not just filling roles. It is building a steady pipeline of skilled electricians and backing people to succeed in the trade.

Click here to learn about our electrical apprenticeships →