A career in the electrical and communications industry proved the right choice for seven of the state’s brightest apprentices, as they were recognised in the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) Victoria Apprentice Awards 2009.
The 26th annual NECA Victoria Apprentice Awards, held on 1st July at Crown, was once again an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the electrical sector’s most talented and committed senior apprentices, before they become fully qualified and embark on their careers.
NECA Victoria chief executive officer, Philip Green, said the Apprentice Awards were an opportunity to recognise the best of the sector’s apprentices by providing them with the added boost to their careers that the prestige of an Apprentice Award brings.
“It is vitally important to continue nurturing young apprentices to ensure a talented pool of qualified individuals is available in the future, despite the economic downturn,” he said.
“These apprentice awards exist for that purpose. This is particularly the case at a time when Australia is experiencing significant skills shortages in some key trade areas, such as electrical, and yet many employers may be holding off employing new apprentices due to economic uncertainty. Without apprentices our industry has no future, so we need to foster that talent.”
Winners were announced in three categories including Industrial Automation & Communication, Industrial and Commercial Domestic.
Green said the industry and the trade is a fantastic career destination.
“It is a trade which provides an enormous range of career pathways and one where the technologies are constantly evolving, offering new opportunities for those who stay at the cutting edge. The Australian Government’s National Broadband Rollout will also open up a whole host of new opportunities for electricians,” he said.
The winners and runners-up for this year’s event are:
Industrial Automation & Communications category
First place: Christopher VanZanten, PSE Communication and Electrical (Rutherglen)
Industrial category
First place: Tim Vining (East Bentleigh), O’Donnell Griffin (Port Melbourne)
Second place: Evan Kettle, Transfield Services,
Third place: Sam Zivalj (West Heidelberg), Nilsen (Vic) Pty Ltd (West Heidelberg)
Commercial Domestic category
First place: Richard Ryan (Bundoora), Nilsen (Vic) Pty Ltd (West Heidelberg)
Second place: Peter Georgiadis (St Kilda), Nilsen (Vic) Pty Ltd (West Heidelberg)
Third place: Shannon Kay, Eagle Eye Power (Mount Waverley)
The first-place winners are now automatically eligible for the National Apprentice of the Year Awards, which will be announced in Melbourne on 26 November 2009.