Central North Island region’s top carpentry apprentice announced!
Carpentry apprentice Callum Bryson has been named the Central North Island Registered Master Builders Carters 2016 Apprentice of the Year.
The 24 year-old from Palmerston North trained through the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation (BCITO) and is employed by McMillan & Lockwood PN Limited.
Judges said Callum is the complete package, making him a worthy winner of the Central North Island Apprentice of the Year.
“Callum is a highly capable young man and meets all the qualities we are looking for in our future building industry leaders.
“Callum’s building knowledge allowed him to speak with an excellent level of confidence and maturity during the judging. He demonstrated the ability to deal with a wide range of people including clients, project managers, other carpenters and sub-contractors as well as the public.
“He had a proactive and easy manner, and a great sense of humour. He is reliable and if we had Callum working on a building job, we would never need to check up on him!”
Callum was awarded a range of fantastic products and tools, $2,000 to spend at Carters, and a spot at an Outward Bound Course.
Second place in the regional competition was awarded to 22 year-old Nathan Hill from Palmerston North, who is employed by Nailing It.
Third place was awarded to 25 year-old Johnny Chee from Fielding and employed by Isles Construction Limited.
The results were announced at an awards evening on 26 August at Wanganui Golf Course.
Registered Master Builders Chief Executive David Kelly says the competition not only celebrates the quality of New Zealand’s carpentry apprentices, but also helps to promote the opportunities that an apprenticeship in the trades has to offer.
“The construction industry is going through an unprecedented period of growth. We need more people to join the trades across all levels. The Apprentice of the Year competition is a fantastic way to showcase our future industry leaders.
“We applaud the commitment and determination from all the apprentices, and we look forward to seeing even more from the finalists at the National competition in November.”
BCITO Chief Executive Warwick Quinn says the organisation is proud to support an event that showcases the high calibre of apprentices at a time when the industry needs them most.
“It has been fantastic to see the high level of skill displayed by all the apprentices. They have shown remarkable ability and passion for their craft, and are paving the way for more apprentices to follow,” he said.
“We are excited to see this continue into the National competition and wish all the finalists luck as they make their mark in the building and construction industry.”
Callum will now compete against the winners from the other nine regions at the National competition in Auckland.
Each finalist will undergo a 45-minute interview with the national judging panel. They will then compete in a practical carpentry challenge where each apprentice will be tasked with building a play house to be donated to local schools. The practical challenge will take place at The Cloud on 4 November and will be open to the public.
The winner of the Registered Master Builders Carters 2016 Apprentice of the Year will be announced at an awards dinner on 4 November.
Apprentices, employers and young people aspiring to be a part of the construction industry are encouraged to join the
Facebook page.
(Photos from the Central North Island event can be seen
here)
For more information, visit
www.apprenticeoftheyear.co.nz.
The Registered Master Builders Apprentice of the Year competition is made possible thanks to principal sponsor Carters, the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation (BCITO), and supporting sponsors the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and APL through their Altherm, First and Vantage brands.