Winning apprentice found unexpected passion for the building industry

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Jake Pardoe of M & M Tibbles Construction was over the moon when he was awarded first place at the Hawkes Bay East Coast Registered Master Builders Carters 2016 Apprentice of the Year competition.

The 21-year-old from Hastings says winning the regional Apprentice of the Year was one of his best accomplishments, and said the experience was incredibly rewarding.

“It’s an amazing feeling to win the competition. It’s certainly a great start to my career and has given me a lot more confidence,” he says.

Jake says he enjoyed the site visit with the judges where he could showcase his work on the project, but found the interview challenging.

“It was great to not only explain my project to the judges, but to show them what I had been working on. It was great to see their reactions and gain recognition for my hard work,” he says.

“I was nervous about the interview beforehand, but it was actually quite enjoyable once I got into it — it’s all about confidence.”

Jake explains that he was initially university-bound until he found an unexpected passion for the building industry.

“I was all set to go to university — I had signed up for courses and was booked into a hostel. I started working at M & M Tibbles Construction in the holidays to earn some money and really enjoyed the trade, so I decided to stick with it,” he says.

Jake credits his employer for giving him opportunities to grow his skills in many areas of the industry.

“Being a smaller company, we undertake many tasks ourselves, such as roofing and gibbing, so I went into the competition with a wide skill set which really helped me.”

Jake says he is looking forward to being a part of the national competition in November, and has already started preparing for it.

“I have a few interviews set up to help me improve my confidence. It will be great to build the playhouse alongside fellow apprentices, and I can’t wait to be a part of it!” he says.

Apprentices, employers and young people aspiring to be part of the construction industry are also encouraged to join the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/registeredmasterbuilders.

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.

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