Brickies take top honours

Adam Hensley BRICKIES TAKE TOPhonours

TWO NORTH QUEENSLAND BRICKLAYERS HAVE SCORED HIGH ACCOLADES IN THE WORLDSKILLS AUSTRALIA BRICKLAYING AND BLOCKLAYING REGIONAL COMPETITION. Atherton brickie, Nathan Davis claimed gold while Townsville apprentice, Adam Hensley took home a silver medal. Adam, from Zane Jenkinson, Rangewood Bricklaying Services and Nathan from Ball Brick & Blocklaying competed against eight apprentices in the first ever WSA compo to be held in Far North Queensland. Every two years, more than 500 regional competitions in different fields are held in more than 34 regions across the country. They test the skills and knowledge of thousands of apprentices, trainees, and students, who have the chance to win gold, silver and bronze medals and go on to compete at a national level. Brick and Block Careers is a sponsor of all regional bricklaying and blocklaying WorldSkills events and aims to provide employers with the best possible candidates to become qualified bricklayers. “It was great to see so many bricklaying and blocklaying apprentices striving for their opportunity to go to the nationals,” said Brick and Block Careers’ National Manager, Tony Bishop. There has been a strong increase in apprentices across all states keen to compete for their shot at glory in this competition. Master Builders North Queensland Regional Manager Emma Peters said brick and block is one of the most sought-after trades in the north, so the competition and Adam’s win was a good step towards attracting more young people to the industry. Tony believes trade skills drive the future of young people. “By supporting WSA regional competitions, we are giving them an opportunity to strive and be recognised for excellence, building time management and communication skills, as well as boosting their workplace skills and performance. “We acknowledge how complex and involved these projects can be. It is an incredible achievement to compete at the regional level,” he said.