An experience I’ll never forget

If you asked me this time last year about taking part in the 2023 NZCB Apprentice Challenge Sponsored by ITM, I would’ve said I most likely wouldn’t try again. I had a pretty disastrous first attempt at the Canterbury regional challenge in 2022.

Fast forward to the first official day of the National Challenge. I met the other 20 incredible apprentices and before we had a chance for small talk, we were given two hours to finish a written assessment that, ‘We would expect second year apprentices to be able to complete’ – thanks Nick, no pressure. Ahead of the next day’s Mitre 10 Great Apprentice Race, we were paired up with our hotel roommates and tasked with building a trike and trailer using limited materials and tools. The rules did not specify it had to have three wheels, so the four-wheeled bus Sam Keenan and I built was perfectly fine! In the spare time leading up to the Apprentice Race, most of us walked around the expo, learning about new products and gathering clothes, pencils, and snacks.

Before we knew it, it was race time. The bus Sam and I built was poorly engineered, resulting in it tipping over and losing a wheel (it’s a trike now!). The creativity of the other groups was astounding, which got me thinking I was in trouble when it came to our speeches. I was really hoping I could make my sander sound interesting now. Needless to say, we didn’t win the race, but it was a great experience with nothing but smiles and laughter.

After working myself up about the big, stressful interview, the three judges actually made it a really calm and relaxing environment. I was the last interview so I could only hope I left a good impression. Surely they were getting bored after 21 interviews!

But after a year of personal and professional growth, and pep talks with my workmates and Ara Institute of Canterbury apprenticeship assessor Aaron Keech, I decided to give it a go.

I was much more relaxed at the regional challenge second time around and focused everything on the build: a playhouse with an elevated floor, climbing wall, and pitched roof. It was an intense day but worth every minute, and the $500 prize from ITM was great!

Before the National Challenge, we were given details about what to expect and tasked with providing a formal covering letter, CV, and work portfolio. It was then I realised this is the real deal; I’m competing against the best apprentices in New Zealand. Part of the Challenge is preparing a two-three minute speech on the topic, “What is your favourite carpentry tool and why?” For a guy who loves to joke around, this was a great opportunity to let my humour shine, right? Wrong. My mind went completely blank. Spending the week at work didn’t help either, I couldn’t put my finger on just one tool. After a lot of deliberation, I landed on the trusty orbital sander and the words started flowing.

Next was my presentation and thanks to the support from the other competitors it was more like talking to a very large group of mates. It was pretty stressful but the minutes flew by. With the hard work over, we spent time getting to know each other better and preparing for the Gala Dinner where the winner would be announced. It was clear that while we had met only a couple of days earlier, we had unconditional care and support for each other.

After taking first place, I would like to thank everyone involved. There are too many people to list and I would hate to miss anyone but none of it would have been possible without NZCB and the great sponsors. It was a truly unforgettable event –I couldn’t recommend it enough!

I look forward to seeing you all at the 2024 NZCB Conference & Expo.

Alex Erickson