Licensed Renovations owner Russell Clark says he encourages his employees to enter the Apprentice of the Year competition because it’s good for his business, and it’s good for the apprentices.
Mr Clark’s company has been involved with the competition for a number of years, with employee Cody Webby, winning the Auckland Registered Master Builders Carters 2014 Apprentice of the Year. Cody is a great example of the positive impact the competition can have on an apprentice.
“As a result of the competition, Cody is now 100% focused,” Mr Clark says. “He is now really thinking about where he wants to be. It’s got him to start thinking about what the building industry is going to look like in 10, 20 and 50 years’ time when he has his own company.”
The competition introduces apprentices to the wider parts of the building industry and its stakeholders.
“It shows apprentices it’s not just about their little van and their little building site — there’s a big industry out there, and it excites them and gives them vision,” Mr Clark says. “These young guys will be our leaders one day. They will be building our rest homes!”
Mr Clark sees the benefits as being a real win-win for the business owner and the apprentice, and will continue to encourage his apprentices to take part.
The competition also introduces the apprentices to the Registered Master Builders Association. He sees this as another key part of the competition, introducing the young apprentices to the leaders in the industry.
Being a Master Builder is important for Licenced Renovations. “I love the support and the knowledge that you get through the Association, and obviously there are also the Master Build Guarantees,” Mr Clark says.
“It’s a pretty hard market out there still, and so it’s nice to have people around that have been there and done that. The people that manage everything are so easy to deal with.
I’ve taken Cody to a few Registered Master Builders meetings now and to a business networking group too. If he wasn’t in the Apprentice of the Year competition I probably wouldn’t have given him the opportunity.”
The competition opens career opportunities for all entrants. “I’d hire anyone who has been involved with AOoY at the drop of a hat. The experience is just so rewarding. You want someone who wants a career in the building industry.”
Apprentices, employers and young people aspiring to be a part of the construction industry are encouraged to join the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/apprenticeoftheyear.
For more information visit
www.apprenticeoftheyear.co.nz.
Owned by the Registered Master Builders Association, the 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.
