As Building Today goes to print, the 10 finalists for the national award in the RMB Apprentice of the Year 2007 competition were being judged, with the winner announced on November 6.
Each of the 10 finalists has been named the winner in their region over the past two months, and these winners went head to head to be named the inaugural National Apprentice of the Year.
Carters would like to reflect on the efforts of the regional judges. For each region there is a judge representative from each of the following sponsors — the RMBF, BCITO and Carters.
The judging process involves a professional interview and a site visit for 10 regional finalists, and it takes the judges a couple of weeks to get through these.
“All [the apprentices] were nervous as none had sat down to a formal interview and, from that, we formed an opinion,” one Carters judge commented.
“What was interesting was that when we met these young men on site, we got to see a different side to these guys. All were very confident, and we got to see some great workmanship and product knowledge.”
The Apprentice of the Year competition aims to reward those carpentry apprentices who show great skills onsite, as well as the leadership skills and building issues knowledge required to take them further in their careers.
Carters appreciates the time that all the judges have put in to this year’s competition, and thank them wholeheartedly for their commitment to recognising and rewarding the future of the construction industry.
Thanks also go to the employers who help these young people along the road to gaining their apprenticeship. Working in a live building environment is essential for apprentices to gain the skills they need to progress in their career.
Finally, Carters thanks all the apprentices that entered the competition. It takes a good shot of confidence to put yourself up to be judged against your peers.
Congratulations to the regional winners and place getters. For those that did not win this year or are only just becoming eligible, entries open next April!
