Twenty three year old Tom, employed by Farmbuild and trained through BCITO, won a prize pack including an Apple iPad, a Carters Business Tools Grant towards furthering his career valued at $5,000, a tool and safety gear pack worth $1,000 and the use of a Ford Ranger XLT vehicle for the duration of his right as Apprentice of the Year.
The judging panel were impressed by the wealth of skills that Tom brought to the competition.
“Tom’s dedication to his job and his hard-working nature was incredible impressive,” said the judges. “The project he submitted was his first as a lead on a job and saw him working 65-hour weeks. He interviewed well and his workmanship was of an exceptionally high standard. Tom’s pride in his work and his many talents make him an extremely worthy winner of this year’s Apprentice of the Year title.”
And Tom’s employer, Pat McCarthy of Farmbuild, Christchurch couldn’t agree more.
“You walk a country mile to find an apprentice like Tom.”
The 2014 Registered Master Builders’ Carters Apprentice of the Year Competition concluded on 17 October with a gala dinner and prize giving at Auckland’s unique Cloud venue.
The national event marked the culmination of two months of regional competitions and judging and represented hours of hard work, skills learned, questions answered and both personal and professional limits pushed by apprentices from across the country.
The competition has taken on a life of its own since its inception in 2005, with 2014 boasting an incredible 30% increase in the number of Apprentice of the Year applications received. A remarkable 134 apprentices competed for the title of Carpentry Apprentice of the Year making this year’s competition fiercer than ever.
The nine regional finalists embody everything that makes us proud to support training in the construction industry. As winners of their regional heats they had already proven themselves to be hard working, driven, self-motivate and reliable, with skills on the tools and industry knowledge in spades.
Carters Auckland Area Manager, Mike Guy, agreed that the nine apprentices have showed outstanding talent throughout their regional finals earning them a place in the national competition. He also pointed out the starring role that employers play in the process.
“The employers must also be applauded for the role they play in the training and development of their apprentices,” Mike Guy.
The national finals , a gruelling two day event, put all nine competitors through their paces. There was a theoretical component – with an individual forty-five minute interview with the judging panel and a timed, practical skills test.
The interviews are an opportunity for apprentices to showcase their industry knowledge, business prowess, leadership skills and communication skills. It can be pretty intimidation, talking in front of a panel of industry experts, but these nine were out to impress.
“All the apprentices who have taken part in the competition have done themselves proud, especially our national finalists, proving out industry is in good stead with an impressive bunch of future leaders,” said Registered Master Builders Chief Executive, Brendon Ward.
The practical element of the competition saw each of the competitors race the clock to build a child’s playhouse in just five hours. The competitors worked side by side in ‘The Cloud’ cheered on by whanau, friends, employers and members of the public from the public viewing gallery.
This year’s event drew interest from several national media agencies and boated an ‘on site inspection’ from the team at TV3’s Campbell Live. The reported, who set out to show off their skills on the tools, walked away with a wobbly saw horse an a new appreciation for the incredible aptitude of the finalists.
The finished playhouses, which each sport weatherboard cladding and a verandah, were gifted to charitable organisations that work with at risk or disadvantaged youth.
Twenty three year old Tom, employed by Farmbuild and trained through BCITO, won a prize pack including an Apple iPad, a Carters Business Tools Grant towards furthering his career valued at $5,000, a tool and safety gear pack worth $1,000 and the use of a Ford Ranger XLT vehicle for the duration of his right as Apprentice of the Year.
The judging panel were impressed by the wealth of skills that Tom brought to the competition.
“Tom’s dedication to his job and his hard-working nature was incredible impressive,” said the judges. “The project he submitted was his first as a lead on a job and saw him working 65-hour weeks. He interviewed well and his workmanship was of an exceptionally high standard. Tom’s pride in his work and his many talents make him an extremely worthy winner of this year’s Apprentice of the Year title.”
And Tom’s employer, Pat McCarthy of Farmbuild, Christchurch couldn’t agree more.
“You walk a country mile to find an apprentice like Tom.”
Tom Southen impressed judges, who say he presented as an outstanding apprentice that comprehensively showed his broad knowledge and ability in construction. His involvement in his project from site set-out to handover required a high degree of planning and clear technical understanding of various structural and finishing materials. He was also complimented for displaying leadership across his interaction with both clients and sub trades and ensured a high level of health and safety procedures. The judges went on to comment that Tom’s toolkit, work vehicle and overall personal presentation were nothing shore of exemplary and he displayed attributes any professional builder would be proud of.
Tom, now back on the job, is happily swinging a hammer and putting up with plenty of ribbing from his workmates. He loves that he does but admits it wasn’t his first choice of career.
“I didn’t know whwat I wanted to do when I finished school, but I met a couple of pretty nice people in the industry and really got into this with Pat through a couple of mutual friends.”
It’s a decision he’s never regretted; building is an industry that Mr Southen is in to stay. He completes his apprenticeship in February and hopes to forge a career in the project management side of the industry.
“Building’s got a great ladder system you can follow. There are so many opportunities when you get into it,” he said.
To this day, tom is happy working on-site, alongside his mates, putting three and a half year of training into practice.
0800 FARMBUILD
