Tough day on the tools for carpentry apprentices

Young apprentices were put to the test over the weekend in the 16th annual NZ Certified Builders Association Apprentice Challenge.

Regional heats of the NZCB Apprentice Challenge were held concurrently at venues across the country, with Otago Polytechnic hosting the Otago heat at our Allied Trades building.

The time-based competition tests apprentices on their real-world carpentry skills, precision, and their ability to work under pressure.

Four talented apprentices lined up this year for the Otago title, including three who use Otago Polytechnic as their training assessor for the New Zealand Certificate in Carpentry (Level 4).

• James Duff (22, Otago Polytechnic) works as an apprentice with Naylor Love and is in his third year of training.
  
  
• Rhys Khan (32, Otago Polytechnic) previously worked as a physiotherapist in Australia before returning to New Zealand and starting his building apprenticeship. He’s lived in Dunedin for the last four years and also works as an apprentice with Naylor Love.
  
  
• Nicolas Casey (19, BCITO) is an apprentice with Build Smart Otago who lives in Outram and volunteers for his local fire brigade.
  
  
• Tyrone Bell (21, Otago Polytechnic) is an apprentice with Osborn Brothers Building and Construction and is in his third year of training.
  
  

Apprentices across New Zealand competed head-to-head, all tasked with building a Pātaka (community sharing cupboard) in under 8 hours on Saturday.

This year’s project proved to be very challenging, with more than half of country's competitors not completing their builds in time.

“It was tough,” admits Grant Beel, Otago Polytechnic Apprentice Manager.

“Our apprentices did really, really well to get to the stage where they got. They just probably needed another hour and a half and they would have had them finished.”

The two Naylor Love apprentices returned on Monday to complete their builds, as all the pātakas will be donated to deserving recipients in the community.

Whānau, workmates, and Otago Polytechnic staff supported the competitors as they worked away during a long solo day on the tools.

Dunedin Mayor Sophie Barker also stopped by to check on the progress, catching up with Otago Polytechnic Chief Executive Andrew McSweeney and the Carpentry team.

Grant says the event was a great day, and proved to be a good levelling exercise. 

“It's taught the apprentices so much about time management, and balancing that will their focus on absolute perfection.”

“The bosses I spoke to were actually pretty happy that their apprentices didn’t complete their projects,” laughs Grant.

"Because it's taught them to understand what they’re going through. When they say that they've got 8 hours to do it, we need to do it in eight hours.”

NZCB Apprentice Challenge organisers invited former Otago Polytechnic Carpentry stalwart Graham Burgess to judge the Otago heat and select a representative to send to the national finals.

Nicolas Casey won the Otago title, taking home a $1,000 prize package thanks to Matika.

Runner-up Tyrone Bell won a $500 prize package from Matika, while third-placed James Duff received a $300 prize package.  All four entrants also won goodie bags courtesy of event sponsor Mitre 10 Trade.

Nicolas will now go on to represent Otago at the national final of the Apprentice Challenge, which is set to take place in Auckland on 5-6 June at the NZCB Conference & Expo.