Tararua's young builders have chance to test their skills

Tararua's carpentry apprentices will be able to pit their skills against others in the New Zealand Certified Builders Apprentice Challenge. Photo / Supplied

dan3505 Tararua's carpentry apprentices will be able to pit their skills against others in the New Zealand Certified Builders Apprentice Challenge.
Photo / Supplied
DANNEVIRKENEWS
NEWS
Tararua's carpentry apprentices have the chance to take part in the annual New Zealand Certified Builders Apprentice Challenge.

Entries need to be in by Friday, March 26.The regional heats of the competition will be held on April 10 where there will be great prizes up for grab.

Regional winners will go on to compete for the coveted title of national champion in Wellington in June.

All apprentices who compete in the regional heats will receive a prize pack and additional prizes will be awarded to the first three place getters. Regional winners also win an all-expenses-paid trip to the national final, held at the NZCB Annual Conference and Expo, where they will compete for the Ken Read Memorial Trophy and $50,000 worth of prizes.

Held in 19 locations across the country, the competition is open to any apprentices employed by NZCB member builders or who are enrolled with Industry Training Association Building (ITAB).

NZCB business development manager South Island Nick Matthews says as last year's competition was cancelled because of Covid-19, there is a lot of anticipation building for this year's event.

"This means the stakes are higher than ever before and we are looking forward to seeing a couple of years' worth of talent go hammer-to-hammer to compete for the NZCB Apprentice Challenge Sponsored by ITM national title," says Matthews.

A week before the regional heats, competitors will be advised of the project they are to build. On the day of the heats each competitor will have eight hours to complete that project using durable, trade-quality timber and materials courtesy of ITM.

The finished projects must meet minimum safety standards and will be judged by a panel of experienced building practitioners and industry educators.

The judges will be assessing a range of building elements, including quality of the craftsmanship, assembly, ability to work to a detailed plan, safe working technique and time management.

Apprentices can enter by visiting https://apprenticechallenge.nz/how-to-get-involved/ and filling out the entry form.