From refugee to rising technician
Ali Mirzada’s journey to a career in the trades began in Afghanistan, where conflict and instability forced his family to seek safety. “My family moved to Indonesia from Afghanistan in 2018,” Ali explains. “My dad had already been there for a little bit, to get things set up for us. Then we were all there as refugees for four years before moving to New Zealand in 2022.”
When Ali arrived in New Zealand, he had never heard of an apprenticeship. “While at Ashburton College, I realised that with an apprenticeship, I could learn while earning,” he says. “If I went to university, I’d finish with money owing.”
“I was planning to do engineering, but when I heard about the automotive industry, and after doing MITO’s StartUp® programme at school, which I really liked, I changed my plans to become a mechanic.”
StartUp® offers Year 11 to 13 students the chance to earn micro-credentials in the automotive industry approved by NZQA and credits towards NCEA Levels 2 and 3 by working one day a week at a local automotive business.
Rhys Calcutt, Service Manager at Morrison Motors in Ashburton, wanted to give back to the industry by supporting local Ashburton College students through StartUp®.
“I’m a former Gateway student myself, and I really believe in the programme. It lets me bring someone straight out of school, give them work experience, and see how they perform before offering an apprenticeship. Plus, since they haven’t worked elsewhere, we can shape them into the kind of employee we need for our business and industry.”
Ali completed both Level 2 and Level 3 StartUp® in the same year: “Once I completed Level 2, my teacher asked if I wanted to go for Level 3 as well. When I started my apprenticeship, I already had 34 credits from school that counted towards my training, so it was very helpful.”
Rhys knew he had found a good apprentice in Ali during his StartUp® work placement.
“He always has a positive attitude—he’s energetic and excited to be here. He just has the confidence to walk up to someone and say hello. Everyone on the team was impressed with him, so we offered him the apprenticeship.”
Rhys adds, “As a business, we can teach skills. We can teach people how to fix cars, but we can’t teach attitude. If they’ve got the right attitude and a willingness to learn, we can definitely work with that.”
Now, having started MITO’s New Zealand Certificate in Light Vehicle Engineering programme, Ali is already making strides in his apprenticeship.
“We are finding that we can give him a little bit more to do by himself,” says Rhys. “We’ve got him on tyres. He’s pulled an engine out for us. We throw bits and pieces at him in an environment where he’s got a safety net around him—plenty of people to help, and plenty of opportunities to learn and grow.”
Ali is already seeing the benefits in choosing to pursue a career in the industry and learning through on-job training.
For other students at school interested in cars, Ali recommends giving StartUp® a go. “That will give you an idea about what it is to be a mechanic, and that’s a good start. My advice is if you can get work experience, learn as much as you can and be positive, no matter your past.”
“The situation in my country was not good but I’m grateful to be here now and to have these opportunities.”
Visit mito.nz/driveyourfuture to find out more about what it's like to work in the automotive industry, and how to get started.
