Central North Island Regional Winners Announced
The top three Apprentices from the Central North Island region have been announced for the 2021 Registered Master Builders CARTERS Apprentice of the Year.
The Apprentice of the Year competition recognises excellence among carpentry apprentices and raises awareness of career opportunities in the building and construction industry. The competition tests our future sector leaders' project management, business, presentation, and practical skills.
For the regional competition, each apprentice had to initially submit a building project. They then took part in a two-hour practical challenge where they were tasked with building a shoe rack. The top 10 from each region then progressed to the interview stage with a judging panel and an onsite visit to discuss their project.
Building apprentice Jarred Badham from Palmerston North was named the Central North Island 2021 Registered Master Builders CARTERS Apprentice of the Year, Jarred is 29 years old, trained through BCITO and employed by Nailing It.
Jarred lives and breathes the building industry. His enthusiasm and desire to share his passion for building is what led him to compete in Apprentice of the Year. The judges were extremely impressed with everything about Jarred. He was well presented, has great communication skills and knowledge. He had a deep understanding of his project and was able to talk us through the job from start to finish. I think he has a bright future in the industry.
Second place went to Sam Cunningham, from Marton. He’s employed by Richards Construction and trained through BCITO.
Sam presented himself extremely well. His maturity and ability to be candid and humorous made for a great interview and site visit. He demonstrated good knowledge of the industry. He was clear with his goals and has realistic expectations of himself. Sam is a very capable apprentice. He demonstrated critical reflective thinking which is a must in our industry. He is an absolute asset to the building industry and a future leader.
Third Place went to Regan McConaghty, from Palmerston North. He works for J Barr Construction and is trained through BCITO.
Regan entered Apprentice of the Year to see how he stacked up against other apprentices. Overall, he stacks up extremely well. He spoke confidently of his work in detail, and we were impressed with his ability to critically reflect on his work and his contribution to the industry. He had a thorough understanding of his project and his onsite workmanship was most impressive.
The top apprentice from each region will then go on to compete in the Master Builders National competition. This includes a 45-minute interview with the national judging panel and an additional six-hour practical skills test.
For more information about the competition, visit www.apprenticeoftheyear.co.nz