Hines Constructions Pty Ltd employee James Gordon ended his apprenticeship on a high, taking out the Master Builders Association (MBA) 2021 apprentice of the year award.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Due to COVID, the 2021 ceremony was delayed and Mr Gordon has now been fully qualified for 12 months.
However receiving the accolade a little later than usual, at the ceremony in Orange on Friday February 11, was still a very rewarding experience.
ALSO MAKING NEWS: Greens on William welcome new faces to artisans market
Mr Gordon said winning the award is not only a reflection of his hard work but is also a reflection of the people who trained and guided him during his time as an apprentice.
"It was very exciting," Mr Gordon said.
"It just shows off everyone, how they can train an apprentice and put them through.
"It's good for my peers to see as well, and might give them encouragement to go down the same path."
ALSO MAKING NEWS: Hand Weavers and Spinners Guild celebrate 50 years
Through high school, Mr Gordon was deciding between pursuing metal and engineering or carpentry as career options, and after completing work experience with Hines Constructions he decided to follow the carpentry path.
After finishing his work experience, Mr Gordon was offered a position with the local commercial building company as an apprentice and he hasn't looked back.
"We do little bits of everything in the commercial game which is great," Mr Gordon said.
"I love the commercial side ... you learn a lot more than just building houses."
Nominated for Apprentice of the Year by his boss David Hines, Mr Gordon was shortlisted and then interviewed over the phone, before being contacted a few weeks later with the good news.
ALSO MAKING NEWS: 'This is a great opportunity': Toole praises Rockley pub plan
Mr Gordon thanked Hines Constructions and everyone who has helped him learn the trade and get to where he is today.
Mr Gordon's favourite part about the commercial building industry is the range of skills he's learnt and the people he's met, all specialising in different trades.
"We start off as carpenters and work our way up to site manager and site foreman and can even go higher than that and be a project manager," he said.
"Griffith Pool was probably the best job I've been on for a while, it was just a great job and I got a fair bit of experience ... on the management side as well as joining in being a carpenter which was interesting."
Hines Constructions also won four awards at the Western Regions Awards ceremony; Medium Density Five or More Dwellings, Commercial Projects - $6 million to $9 million, Best use of Concrete, and Health and Safety Awards - Commercial.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.westernadvocate.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News