Local apprentice sets the bar for young builders

Whanganui building apprentice Ethan Bailey was congratulated by government minister Louise Upston on Wednesday.

Mr Bailey is one of 11,000 building apprentices in training with Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation (BCITO).

As Associate Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment, Ms Upston visited Whanganui to celebrate the milestone.

The visit took place at a new, state-of-the-art barn under construction at Higgins Poultry Farm in Westmere.

The barn, designed to accommodate 17,000 free ranging chickens is being built by Shane Stone Builders Ltd where Mr Bailey is one of nine carpentry workers employed while serving apprenticeships.

Mr Bailey started working for Shane Stone as a casual employee after the 2015 floods in Whanganui.

"It was pretty full on of course but I found that I really enjoyed the work," said Mr Bailey.

"My dad's a drain layer and when I worked with him I used to feel sorry for the carpenters.

"They were stuck there for weeks while we were in and out in a couple of days."

The 24-year-old said he has now discovered the satisfaction that comes with completing building work.

"We started this job in February and the chickens are arriving in a couple of weeks so we need to work to the deadline."

Mr Bailey's performance and attitude have put him in line for an apprentice of the year award.

Mrs Upston congratulated Mr Bailey, his fellow trainees and BCITO representatives.

"We are in the middle of New Zealand's biggest ever building boom, the rapid scaling-up of construction in Auckland will result in around $17 billion of new construction in 2018.

"I congratulate BCITO for their achievement and it is great to see young people opting for a career where there is an increasing, long-term need for their skills.

"To meet our target of 50,000 overall apprentices by 2020 we need support from parents, teachers, careers advisers, and businesses. Well done to BCITO on its significant contribution to achieving our goal."

Caption:
Ethan Bailey with Dave Higgins (left), Gloria McGuire and Rex McGill of BCITO, Ian Higgins, Tee-Jay Horrell of Shane Stone, Minister Louise Upton and Whanganui National candidate Harete Hipango.