PREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION OF BUILDERS

At our State Apprentice of the Year Awards in May, we honoured several hundred people from around Victoria for their hard work over the past year. That work included proper training, learning a culture of safe building practice and following the examples of good mentors.

Master Builders’ ALink program plays an important role in this process, helping to guide apprentices through their careers and introducing them to the range of occupational health and safety training and resources Master Builders offers.

Romsey carpenter Nathan Blair was this year’s the top winner, taking out two of the major awards (Metropolitan and State Apprentice of the Year). Nathan also won nearly $4000 of tools, work wear and vouchers to get a safe and productive career off to a strong start. The third major award - Regional Apprentice of the Year - was won by Joseph Brakels, a carpenter from Mansfield.

The Hon Tim Pallas MP, Treasurer of Victoria, helped present the awards and delivered an important message: “There has never been a better time for a career in building and construction. Demand is high, with many opportunities on offer.” We owe a debt of gratitude to the mentors - the employers who give these industry newcomers their first chance at success and who help to demonstrate what good, safe building is all about.

Article written by Radley de Silva, CEO – MBAV