Coromandel apprentice takes out Supreme Award

Coromandel apprentice takes out Supreme Award at Flooring Industry get together

Coromandel Flooring Apprentice Stafford Moody from Whitianga has won the Supreme Apprentice of the Year Award as well as being named BCITO Stage Three Flooring Apprentice of the Year.

The BCITO Flooring Apprentice of the Year Awards, held in Christchurch last night, aims to recognise exceptional performance by tradespeople in the flooring industry.

Stafford, who is now fully qualified, is employed by Fagans’ NZ Limited. He trained through the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation (BCITO).

As part of his BCITO apprenticeship, Stafford worked as a flooring installer and participated in off-job training at the Allied Trades Institute in Christchurch. The award was based on his performance undertaking a range of tasks at the Institute.

Stafford impressed his tutors who say he displayed a great work ethic.

Principal Tutor at the Allied Trades Institute Jeff Henry says “Stafford was well prepared for the course. Even in his second year, there were occasions when Stafford would stay behind after the course to practise mitres and welding.”

“He worked tirelessly to hone his finishing skills and always showed good logic with his decisions. Stafford has extremely high expectations and consequently all his tasks were consistently completed to a very high standard.”

Stafford was “stoked” when he was named the Stage Three Flooring Apprentice of the Year. “It was a bit unexpected. There were two other classes and so you never know who is there and how good they are, but I’m very happy with it.”

BCITO chief executive Ruma Karaitiana says the Flooring Apprentice of the Year is a great way of encouraging best practice among tradespeople.

“We are right behind initiatives that provide a benchmark for tradespeople and challenge apprentices to stand out from their peers and really put their skills to the test. The Flooring Apprentice Awards allow trainees to gain recognition in the industry.

“There’s currently a massive demand for professional tradespeople in New Zealand, so we want to encourage more people to come and train to be part of this growing industry.”

The BCITO Flooring Apprentice of the Year Awards evening is the biggest annual get together of the flooring industry in New Zealand.

Guest speaker on the night was Dale Williams ONZM, former leader of the NZ Mayors Taskforce for Jobs. Dale now works with communities developing local initiatives to support young people as they transition from school to work.

ENDS

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