From the ground up

Q:What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received as an apprentice? And why was it so valuable?

Name: Andrew (2nd year)

Location: Akaroa

I think the best advice I’ve been given is that there’s no such thing as a silly question. It’s nice to have people on your team say that, as it gives you the confidence to interrupt them if necessary. However, I have found it’s important to pick your moments – there’s a right time and wrong time to interrupt people who are on the tools!

But the reality is, it’s all part of the learning process, and especially at the start, you don’t know what to do unless you ask. In the long run, it saves everyone time if you do ask, as it helps avoid potentially costly and time-consuming mistakes.

The continuous opportunity to learn is what I love most about being an apprentice – even if you learn what not to do, which is sometimes more important! I’m lucky to be part of a great team, and they’re extremely helpful and supportive.

Name: Riki (just finished)

Location: Wellington

The best piece of advice I ever received is pretty simple in theory, but more difficult in reality – it was to listen and actually hear what people are saying to you.

The reason I say that is that, if you jump to conclusions too quickly, you can quite easily miss a step and make more work for yourself by having to redo it properly. Also, as an apprentice, more senior builders are taking time out of their day to teach you, so it’s only fair to show your appreciation by listening to what they have to say – they’re investing in your learning, which is awesome.

People don’t appreciate having to fix your work when it’s not quite right, so it’s important to listen no matter how obvious you might think something is. From putting up a wall to storing materials, there’s a right way to go about it, so making sure you listen and get it right is key to being a valued apprentice.

On the other hand, if you’ve listened carefully to instructions, and you think they might be incorrect, it’s worth questioning or challenging what’s being asked of you, because, in the end, it’s the quality of your work that’s at stake.

Name: Nathan (just finished)

Location: Hamilton

Advice is a funny thing, because sometimes you realise in hindsight just how good it was, even if you didn’t listen. I’d say the best advice I ever got was “don’t just go ahead if you’re unsure”. Even if you’re fairly confident, it’s still worth checking – with someone more senior, product information brochures or online – especially if you haven’t worked with a material.

A few times I thought I knew what to do, because I’d done the same process with a similar material, but it turned out that it wasn’t quite the same. Basically, I learned the hard way that it’s well worth doing it right the first time.

If you do it wrong once, you won’t do it again, but it’s much easier to learn from the experienced people who have already made the mistakes.