Acknowledging excellent apprentices

PlaceMakers Apprentice Crew continues to recognise members for their ongoing eff orts and learnings on the job

Every month, PlaceMakers selects a PAC member as ‘Apprentice of the Month’. To enter, PAC members must explain the biggest

challenge they faced on a job, how they overcame it, what the outcome was and what they took away from the experience. In addition to sharing an experience and having the chance to win some great prizes, filling out an entry form for ‘Apprentice of the Month’ helps prepare apprentices for future Licensed Building Practitioner responsibilities, as it is similar to recording on-the-job learning, a required skills maintenance activity.

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August apprentice of the month

Doing something for the first time is always a bit of a challenge, and first-year apprentice Alex Gunson says his first time installing cedar cladding was no exception.

To prepare, Alex read up on the subject and got the foreman to check as he went along to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. The result was a job well done and commendation for his work.

According to Alex, his biggest learning was to trust in his own ability or, in his words, “the boss won’t give you the job if they don’t think you’re capable”.

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July apprentice of the month

When third-year apprentice Niki Te Whaiti was asked to manage the construction footings for a small commercial building – including hold-down bolts and drossbach cast

– he knew it would require a high level of precision and oversight.

To start off, he asked his site manager for some direction and spent a lot of time cross-referencing plans and checking the maths. As the job progressed, he worked closely with the small team he was overseeing and double-checked any grey areas with the site manager. When he felt the job was complete, he asked other experienced builders on site to do a final check. This was vital, as the others spotted a few mistakes that could have been big issues had they not been picked up before the concrete was poured.

In the end, the job was well executed and Niki says the experience reiterated the importance of absolute accuracy.

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More PAC prizes!!!

Lucky lady: During July, new and existing PAC members went into the draw to win an essential Carpenter’s Kit, valued over $1000, courtesy of Apex Tool Group. The lucky winner was Imogen McQueen (right), seen here collecting her prize from Teresa Monahan of PlaceMakers Cook Street.

Wise winner: By answering a question about the PlaceMakers Service Promise, PAC members received a shiny new Laminex hacksaw. Apprentice Dylan Thorstensen from Clarke Construction was thrilled to be one of the recipients.