Christchurch’s Rafe Bjork has made big strides since he was featured on the EPIC Careers in Infrastructure website in 2019. Back then he was still cutting his teeth as a civil drainlayer with Isaac Construction and dreaming of one day leading a team.
In the years since, New Zealand has weathered a global pandemic, faced economic headwinds and witnessed rapid technological advancement – including the use of artificial intelligence becoming mainstream.
But throughout all this turbulence, Rafe has stuck to his civil infrastructure guns and achieved his dream of becoming a foreman.
He now manages a team that plays a vital role serving communities by maintaining Canterbury’s water systems – the invisible underground networks that ensure clean, safe water keeps flowing to thousands of homes and businesses.
Rafe says he started with Isaac Construction a year after finishing school, when a friend’s Dad offered to set him up with a job.
“I liked the people he worked with and I liked the company.”
Once he realised civil construction was his calling, he pushed himself to gain formal qualifications, hitting the books and working towards his National Certificate in Drainlaying (Level 4).
“I recommend it to anyone, really. Anyone that likes working outdoors and doesn’t mind doing a bit of hard graft. It’s worth it in the end once you can get out there and get upskilled – better than a lot of people give it credit for.”
From the very start Rafe decided on some clear goals: become a Certifying Drainlayer, achieve his civil drainlaying qualification, and eventually step up to be a foreman. Six years later, he’s ticked all those boxes and then some.
More recently, his mission has been to tackle the next step in his career by pursuing Civil Trades certification, which recognises depth of experience and mastery of technical skills in a particular niche of infrastructure work.
Rafe says his Civil Trades certification process has been comprehensive – combining theory and practical elements – and well worthwhile.
“We needed to gather a whole heap of evidence for it – photos of us working on site, any practical elements, paperwork, emails, plans … It’s all relevant.”
As a result Rafe is now Civil Trades certified in Pipeline Construction and Maintenance, with endorsements in Trenched, Wastewater and Stormwater and Drinking Water – recognising the competence he has gained during his years of dedication to his craft.
He says the certification is the icing on the cake in his career so far.
“Having the trade cert just fills you with a bit of belief and self-confidence that you can achieve what you want to achieve and take yourself wherever you want to go really.”
Rafe’s story shows that with dedication and a commitment to ongoing learning, anyone can start a career in civil infrastructure straight out of school before learning on the job and landing in their ideal role.
With rising government investment signalling an infrastructure development boom in the years ahead, professionals like Rafe – formally qualified, experienced and certified – are becoming increasingly valuable.
