Firth has for many years been a supporter of the development of young people in the brick and blocklaying industry and this year has helped reintroduce the ‘Silver Trowel – Brick and Blocklaying Apprentice of the Year’ award.
The award, for which Firth is the principle sponsor, was announced at the Brick and Blocklayers Federation of New Zealand (BBFNZ) AGM Conference held in August, and went to Calley Gibbons of Mandron Masonry Ltd.
“Firth is happy to see the award back and we were happy to provide assistance with the judging,” says Christy Thompson from Firth Industries. “We believe the quality of entrants reflects that we have set the bar for this award at a high but achievable level. We would like to congratulate Calley, the Silver Trowel finalists and all of the competition entrants for participating and helping to set a high industry standard for an award that Firth is proud to be part of.”
Like many trades within the construction sector, the Brick and Blocklaying Industry is calling for young men and women predominantly in the Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Central Otago to train as Brick and Blocklaying apprentices.
“We are an industry that places great value on our apprentices because they are our trade’s future,” states Melanie McIver, BBFNZ CEO. “We are proud of our building systems and believe there are many reasons why masonry has been a preferred building material for thousands of years. Without our youth training to provide our craft in the future we will put at risk our ability to provide our customers the healthy, affordable buildings our industry creates. We have been grateful to Firth, who have a clear passion for developing our industries youth, for taking a leadership role with this award.”
The Brick and Block Federation, with partner Firth, believe that an excellent apprentice:
- Has good laying skills
- Has a good understanding of building code requirements; NZ Standards, Industry Best Practice Guides and other relevant technical information
- Has a good understanding of the regulatory compliance environment
- Demonstrates ‘working within competency'
- Displays good employee behaviour
- Has good written and verbal communication skills
- Has a good understanding of computing and communications technology
For more information on the Silver Trowel Award, including the criteria and process click here