After decades tucked away down an alleyway, the Nelson Training Centre (NTC) has stepped into the spotlight with a move to a prominent location on Vanguard St.
The centre has relocated from Crisps Lane to the former Tozzetti Café building at 14 Vanguard St, a move staff say has transformed both the learning environment for students and the centre’s connection with the community.
NTC has been operating for almost 40 years and originally ran as a contract through MSD, with a focus on helping adult learners into employment.
Over time, it has evolved into a youth space, supporting young people to gain recognised qualifications and work-ready skills. It delivers the New Zealand Certificate in Hospitality (Level 2) alongside NCEA Levels 1 and 2.
Learners are aged between 16 and 19, with some 15-year-olds attending under Ministry exemptions. The 30-week programme runs on a rolling intake model, with up to 20 learners at any one time. Funding is provided by the Tertiary Education Commission under the Youth Guarantee scheme.
Most students move directly into employment, while others continue their studies at NMIT.
NTC team leader Chris Duke says the training centre had been based at Crisps Lane “for at least 20 years” and was starting to show its age.
He describes the building as “a little bit of a pig’s ear”.
“We’re talking holes in the walls, a few leaks from the ceilings. It was extremely run down and old.”
A contact had mentioned that the owner of Tozzetti was looking to sell – and the rest is history. The YMCA, which bought the NTC in 2018, now owns the building outright.
“It’s absolutely fantastic – and we’ve made it better,” Chris says.
“The last space was down an alley tucked away to the side; here we’re front-facing to the street.”
That visibility has paid off, particularly when the training centre opens its doors to the public as a café once a week.
Formerly known as Back Alley Café, the operation has been rebranded as Manaaki Thursdays, running every Thursday lunchtime, offering low-cost meals prepared and served by students.
The café is now busier than it has ever been, and they can sell up to 280 meals in just two hours, says chef tutor Houdini Tuani.
“There are queues out the door, and you have to get here reasonably early.”
Once a month, on a Friday, the centre also hosts community organisations for lunch.
Chris says the students love the buzz of the Thursday service.
“I always think, if the students can cope here, although they are pretty heavily supervised by us, they get a real feel for a busy café… but I mean, it’s life as well – they learn that things go wrong, but you keep calm, carry on, and at the end you get those warm fuzzies.”
To find out more about Manaaki Thursdays and see the weekly menu, look Nelson Training Centre up on Facebook.
