Graduate takes home top spot in apprenticeship challenge

On Saturday 9 April, campus life was busier than usual, with WITT hosting the New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) Apprenticeship Challenge for the Taranaki region.

Michael Craig, a graduate of the New Zealand Certificate in Construction (Carpentry) (Level 3) at WITT, claimed the title of Taranaki’s NZCB Apprentice Challenge champion after competing against five other apprentices and coming out on top.  

This year the apprentices were put through their paces for eight hours as they were tasked with building a park bench that followed specific designs and minimum safety requirements. The park benches were assessed by an expert panel of judges, including WITT’s Hamish Nicholas, Lead- Plumbing, Construction and Electrical.

Michael Craig is currently undertaking his apprentice at Adan Larsen Builders. As well as winning the regional title Michael also won a $500 ITM voucher and earned a place representing Taranaki in the regional finals.

The NZCB Apprenticeship Challenge is held regionally every year. A total of 19 regional winners from across  New Zealand will go on to compete for the Ken Read Memorial Trophy and $25,000 worth of prizes at the NZBC Annual Conference in Hamilton in November.

NZCB Regional Coordinator for Taranaki Michael Knuckey said there was a high calibre of entrants on Saturday with a record number of entries, although two had to withdraw due to Coivd-19. For Michael, competitions like this are essential for the growth and future of our trades industry.

“I am very passionate about the growth and future development of the construction trade through fostering young talent training in the industry.”

“Without bright young talent emerging, the industry is lost, so it's up to us to bring them on board and promote young apprentices through the industry and lead it in the future. The apprenticeship programme provides a strong pathway for this to be achieved,” he said.