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National success ‘redemption’ for young builder
Bay apprentice hails placing after putting skills to test
ZOE HUNTER
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This year’s NZ Certified Builders Apprentice Challenge was all about “redemption” for Tauranga’s Joshua Shoebridge.
The 23-year-old placed third in the NZ Certified Builders (NZCB) Apprentice Challenge sponsored by ITM.
The Apprentice Challenge national final took place at NZCB’s annual conference in Hamilton last weekend, when 19 regional finalists from throughout New Zealand competed for the top prize.
Apprentices were judged on examples of their work, dedication towards their apprenticeship, and a presentation to more than 650 NZCB member builders attending the conference.
Shoebridge secured third spot behind runnerup Petros Vrahasotakis, 27, of Wellington, and New Zealand’s top apprentice Joshua Welsh, 27, of Whanga¯rei.
“It feels pretty good,” Shoebridge said. “It was better than I expected.”
He said it was the first time he had made it to the national finals.
He competed in the regional finals a couple of years ago but made a “major mistake” during a practical assignment that cost him a spot in the national showdown.
“I ran out of time to get one of the major measurements for the picnic table we had to make. Mine was 100mm taller than everyone else’s. I was meant to cut the legs but I spent all my time sanding and making it look pretty.”
This time he did some extra work beforehand and knew what he was getting into.
“It was a bit of a redemption.” Shoebridge works at Atrium Homes Ltd in Tauranga. He worked there part time in 2017 while he was doing a pre-trade course at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology in Tauranga.
“I was working for them two or three days a week and then they took me on full-time once I finished in 2018.”
He said working for Atrium Homes Ltd was “great”.
“We all get along really well and we have a great boss [Allan Shaw].”
The Apprentice Challenge was a great chance to put all his skills to the test, he said. He said he had made some “really good friends”. “They are all top guys.”
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