APPRENTICE OF THE MONTH

September apprentice of the month

Turning a weakness into a strength

Kane Nisbet, a recently graduated fourth-year apprentice from Auckland, has turned a weakness in written work into a practical strength.

Kane explained that, while the practical side of the apprenticeship came easily, the theoretical side did not.

“I’d been around building for ten years before I started my apprenticeship and I’m a practically minded person, so that part of it came naturally to me,” says Kane.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Kane took a practical approach to improving his book work skills.

“It turned out fixing my weakness wasn’t that hard, it was just a matter of putting the time in and getting on with it. I set aside an hour a day, every day, to work on one to two units of the theoretical stuff with Jason, my mentor.”

“By working with Jason every day, I didn’t just fill in the lines so that I could pass the assessments, I got to really understand the theory, which has made me a better builder.”

Another tip Kane is keen to pass on to other apprentices struggling with bookwork is not to be afraid to share your weaknesses with your co-workers

“If you tell people what you’re struggling with, they’re likely to give you suggestions on how they’d approach it, and getting those different angles and inputs is useful.”

October apprentice of the month

Andrew Hopley, a second-year apprentice from Christchurch, was awarded Apprentice of the Month for facing a new building challenge using his own foresight and support from a more  experienced builder.

Andrew was overseeing the build of a large shed, a job which included calculating material quantities and research specifications using NZS 3604.

This was a significant build and a big challenge for a second-year apprentice. Andrew took two important steps, which helped him meet the challenge.

Firstly, he planned ahead, which lessened the number of surprises later on. Secondly, Andrew recognised he needed help, so he sought the guidance of a more experienced builder.

How did it work out? In Andrew’s words: “Bloody good!” The project was successfully completed, he received great feedback from the boss and the homeowner, and he learned a lot.