The search for the top carpentry apprentice in the country begins this month with entries opening in the Registered Master Builders 2007 Apprentice of the Year competition, in association with Carters.
Supported by the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation (BCITO) and with new supporting sponsor the Department of Building and Housing, 2007 sees the introduction of a new National Apprentice of the Year title, as well as the addition of a new region in the first phase of the competition.
There are great prizes up for grabs, with regional winners taking home a study grant (value up to $2000) and participation in a specialist Outward Bound Leadership Programme (value up to $2500).
All regional winners will, for the first time in 2007, travel to Wellington with their employer and two family members to take part in the national judging and an awards evening where New Zealand’s top carpentry apprentice for 2007 will be announced.
New Zealand’s Apprentice of the Year will win a trip for two to an Australasian trade show and associated travel package, worth up to $3500.
Rob Wierenga from Wellington Interbuild Ltd, employers of last year’s Wellington Apprentice of the Year, Jesse Dyson, says taking the competition to a national level has benefits for employers and apprentices.
“The Apprentice of the Year competition is regarded well by those in the industry and by consumers. For us, having the region’s top apprentice as part of our team reflected well on the company and reinforced the important role we, as mentors, play in ensuring the industry’s high standards are maintained in the future,” he says.
To be eligible to enter, apprentices must:
• have completed a minimum of two years of their National Certificate in Carpentry employed on site, or have completed their apprenticeship within two years of the closing date of the competition — Tuesday, July 31, 2007,
• be completing their National Certificate in Carpentry, and
• be 25 years or younger in the year of competition.
The competition is open to all carpentry apprentices, regardless of whether apprentices work for a Registered Master Builder or have their training managed by the BCITO.
There are 10 regions in the 2007 competition, so log on to www.masterbuilder.org.nz orwww.bcito.org.nz, or drop into your local Carters store to find out more.
