MASTERLINK MESSAGEBOARD
This edition’s updates from Masterlink, the Master Plumbers-owned apprentice training company.
Outward Bound Scholarship winner
The inaugural Master Plumbers Outward Bound Scholarship, worth $3,500, went to Masterlink apprentice Wade Williams. Third-year Masterlink apprentice Wade Williams heard about the Master Plumbers Outward Bound Scholarship through his host employer Chris Wilson at Chris Wilson Plumbing in Auckland. He thought it would be a great way to build his confidence and step out of his comfort zone, so he went ahead and applied. An outdoor type who loves walking and playing sports, Wade was up for fresh challenges, new problems to solve and a change of scenery, so discovering in April that he’d been awarded the scholarship was “pretty cool”. The 16-day course ran from 8-23 June at Anakiwa in the Marlborough Sounds, just as NZ Plumber was going to print. We’ll cover Wade’s experience in the next edition. The annual Master Plumbers Outward Bound Scholarship is open to Apprentice Members of Master Plumbers. Masterlink funds Master Plumbers Apprentice Membership for all Masterlink apprentices.
Above: Master Plumbers Outward Bound Scholarship winner Wade Williams (left) with his Masterlink host Chris Wilson (right) and regional manager Tania Forsyth.
Going global
WorldSkills Nationals plumbing champion Lauren Phillips took another step on her competition journey by taking part in the Global Skills Challenge in Melbourne. The final selection for competitors at the 2019 World Skills International in Russia this August is being decided following the Global Skills Challenge, held over five days in Melbourne in April. Masterlink plumbing apprentice Lauren Phillips was picked to be among the contestants in the plumbing and heating category at the Melbourne event, having won Gold in this category at the WorldSkills NZ Nationals last year. No fewer than 16 countries were represented in Melbourne,
with around 500 competitors battling it out in 24 skills categories. We’re mighty proud of Lauren’s achievements thus far. Acknowledgement must also go to her host employer Fairbairn Plumbing in Winton and the Masterlink South Island regional manager team of Roger Herd and Brendan Parker.
CPD pulls the crowds Our trade stand is attracting plenty of attention at the CPD roadshows—and our $1,600 toolkit prize is an extra drawcard! When the 2019 PGDB & Mico CPD Roadshow rolls into town, be sure to come and visit the Masterlink and Master Plumbers trade stand to go in the draw to win an awesome toolkit, worth $1,600. All remaining roadshow venues are in the North Island. Check out the schedule and book your place at https://ecommerce. skills.org.nz/pgdb2019
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June/July 2019
Above: Good numbers at the Dunedin CPD trade show. Roger Herd and Brendan Parker manned the Masterlink & Master Plumbers stand.
