NOVICE WHO NAILED IT

The top apprentice of 2019 credits Apprentice of the Month with giving his own work focus

Andrew Hopley, a 3rd year apprentice from Akaroa who has consistently entered Apprentice of the Month and won twice this year, has won the grand prize of ‘Novice who Nailed It’ – taking away $500 in travel vouchers. Though as Andrew sees it, entering is about more than just winning.

“Being an apprentice isn’t always easy. Sometimes you can get a bit of a hard time. So, I think having something like Apprentice of the Month to focus the quality of your work on and look forward to is a great thing.

“The competition also provides a chance to see what others are doing and how high the standard of their work is. This makes you feel really good when you do win, because there’s strong  competition.”

Andrew might be a relative novice at building, but aged 35 with two kids at home, the former tour boat skipper probably isn’t what most outside of the building industry imagine when thinking of an apprentice builder.

When asked what advice he would give to other apprentices, Andrew says: “You just have to keep at it and take opportunities when they present themselves – don’t shy away from something that will challenge you, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.”

For his own learning, Andrew has been focusing on becoming more familiar with NZS 3604.

“It’s always with me – I mean, it’s 40mm thick, so I don’t have it on my tool belt! But I do have it in the van, or on the workbench at home, and reference it as much as possible.”

While it’s not about the prize for Andrew, it won’t go unappreciated: “My wife and I have a wedding to go to in Queenstown, and we might go down without the kids, which would be a nice reward for both of us for all the hard work last year.”