Climbing to New Heights
Careers at COMAG!
Want a watertight, hands-on career with heaps of variety?
Make like former Matamata College student Leon Hancy, and check out a pathway into Roofing, Plumbing or Drainlaying!
Leon’s love for the outdoors and and desire to learn new skills motivated him to take on an apprenticeship in Roofing at Comag.
The FutureForce® team visited Leon to find out more…
Leon Hancy
Roofing Apprentice
Top Career Tip
“Learn from others with more knowledge and experience, it’s better to know what you’re doing.”
A Chat with Leon about his role
Leon Hancy
Roofing Apprentice
Former Matamata College Student
What do you do in your role?
I normally work on new roofs, which I enjoy way better than doing re-roofs! First we lay the roof and after that when all the roof is on, we do flashings which is the hardest part. You want to make the roof water tight!
What got you interested in this career path?
I was interested in a job where I could be outside and learn new skills. This career appealed to me because I was interested in travelling, and with Comag you’re not always in the one place. I also had friends from school that came here.
What have you learnt on the job?
Heaps of stuff to be honest. Laying the roof, laying flashings where they should go, and making sure things a watertight. Also working with a team. At my old job I was just by myself so I had to learn how to work with others.
What challenges have you faced and how did you overcome them?
Starting early and working late was a challenge at first. At my other job it was 8am- 4pm, here it is generally 7am-5pm but sometimes we start at 6am and can sometimes finish at 6pm-6:30pm. Daylight savings can even be 7pm or 8pm finish depending on the job and location but that is not very often. Even though I would set an alarm I would just put it on snooze, but my brother would help me out. He would start around the same time and if I didn’t wake up at a certain time he would come wake me up. After a while I got used to the hours, in roofing you are a team, and you don’t want to let you team mates down by being late. I still manage to go to the gym and stuff outside of work and the extra hours means I get extra wages.
What do you love about your job?
Working with my mates. Also I like getting a job done in a certain amount of time. I enjoy a bit of a challenge.
What sort of person do you need to be for this kind of work?
Someone who is eager to learn and has a good attitude. Also you have to be fit and strong because you’re carrying a lot of sheets. Someone who can clean up after themselves!
What do you like most about working at Comag?
Social events – those are nice perks! We sometimes even do claybird shooting. I also learned heaps here. Sometimes if it’s raining and you can’t do roofing, they’ll put you somewhere else like drainage or plumbing so you’re still getting experience doing other things, so there’s a lot of variety which I enjoy.
Where would you like to go with your career/future ambitions?
First of all I want to get qualified, and then see what happens from there…start my own company maybe. Or stay here and help grow the younger boys and get them qualified.
A Day on the Job
My usual day would be…
Come to work, go to Social Club (the team meeting room). The boss will tell us where we’re going and what stuff we need to do. Then we’ll load up all the utes. Normally we grab breakfast then shoot off to site. Once we get there the foreman will split us up onto different jobs. Some will be de-nailing the roof, others will be putting the old sheets on top of the roof racks. Once the whole roof is cleared off, we start papering. When all the paper is on, we start laying the roof.
Tips & Advice
What advice would you give to someone looking at this type of work?
It’s good to know your limits. Make sure to take good care of your body, because sometimes people can easily hurt themselves by overdoing it.
What advice do you give for keeping balance/managing stress?
Don’t take your work home, leave it at the door before you walk in. I leave problems from home and work seperate otherwise it will just build up. So I like to chill – sometimes be by myself, think in my own space which really helps me to wind down.
Work at Comag
Join the team at Comag! They are always on the lookout for reliable, dedicated and hardworking individuals to join the company.
Comag has a supportive team who will help you through and share their knowledge.
Comag has helped the Matamata community since 1967. They provide a range of services from plumbing to gas fitting, drain laying and roofing.
Comag prides themselves on being a great company to work for, ensuring that their team enjoy the work that they do. They are committed to their team and creating a great working environment, where a work life balance is encouraged. They believe that growth is essential and support their team’s professional development, providing them with opportunities to thrive and succeed in their trade.
Check out careers at comagltd.co.nz