Going the distance
Masterlink apprentice Gareth Drake has been with Queenstown firm Advantage Plumbing and Drainage since deciding to become a plumber three years ago.
“My father is a builder and my brother Kieran also did his plumbing apprenticeship through Masterlink, so trades are in the family,” says Gareth.
Now two-thirds of the way through his plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying apprenticeship, Gareth has clocked up nearly 6000 hours towards his qualifications and is going great.
“Gareth shows attention to detail, dedication, motivation, enthusiasm and is pleasant to work with,” says Masterlink host Neil Smith. “I’ve never had to push him in his studies and he’s always up to date with his assignments when we sit down for the quarterly appraisal with Masterlink coordinator Roger Herd. He’s always above average in the report sent through from the polytech.”
Being quite a large company, Advantage Plumbing and Drainage has been able to offer Gareth work experience in the whole spectrum of plumbing, drainage and gas, both residential and commercial. “We do everything from major manhole construction through to tap washers, and we can alternate the tradesmen he works with,” says Neil.
Masterlink makes the whole training process easier - something Gareth, for one, really appreciates. “Masterlink organises all my block courses at SIT, which saves me the hassle of doing it myself,” he says. “It’s also good to catch up at the quarterly appraisals to see how everything’s going on and help sort out the bookwork.”
With the help of Masterlink’s six-year career plan, Gareth is already thinking of his future. “I enjoy the variety of work that plumbing offers,” he says. “Once I’ve done the registration exams, I’m going to carry on and try for my certifying licence.”
