Three electrical apprentices that demonstrated consistent levels of excellence throughout their training were recognised by Australia’s peak electrical industry association, the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA), at the annual New South Wales Apprentice of the Year Awards held on Friday (7 September) at the Sydney Convention and ExhibitionCentre, Darling Harbour.

The Awards provide an opportunity for the electrical and communications industry to officially recognise the talent of the top apprentices across three industry sectors in New South Wales, with the three winners Nick Mundey, Yoel Meinrath and Rick McNeice, having the opportunity to progress to the national NECA Apprentice of the Year Awards in November.

Nick Mundey (pictured), a 26-year-old apprentice from Berkeley Vale, is employed by Eris McCarthy and was judged the best apprentice in the Commercial/Domestic category. Nick has completed his apprenticeship and has become an exceptional electrical and communications industry tradesperson.

Nick has a wide range of experience in most facets of the industry, has been trained in tower access and rescue and has installed beacon lights on some of the highest communications towers in Australia.

“The broad range of works I have been given the opportunity to work on with Eris McCarthy has been the envy of other apprentices in the trade,” he said.

“In the future I can see multiple opportunities for myself and other apprentice graduates in the industry. As the industry offers such a wide range of services to the whole of the economy, the opportunities are in fact endless and range from technical to management roles.”

Yoel Meinrath, a 32-year-old apprentice from Bondi, is employed by NECA Group Training and his host employer is R W Palmer Electrical Service. He was judged the best apprentice in the Communications category.

Yoel has consistently approached his apprenticeship and training in a professional manner and has excelled in both work performances and TAFE achievements. Job knowledge, skills levels and persistence at whatever tasks are given to Yoel are second to none.

“In the future I hope to broaden my skills by starting my own business and exploring home automation further,” he said.

“I intend to give back to the industry by taking on my own apprentices and guiding them through their apprenticeships. I have also begun writing a business plan for a smart phone ‘app’ which, when complete, will act as a ‘pocket resource tool’ for the data and communications sector.”

Rick McNeice, a 23-year-old apprentice from Razorback, is employed by NECA Group Training and his host employer is Bass Electrical Engineering. He was judged the best apprentice in the Industrial category.

Rick has the capability to grasp and understand the works being undertaken, adapting to any situation whether dealing directly with his customers or his manager. He has proven to be reliable, hard working and has a strong and positive attitude with the ability to learn very quickly.

“Although it is hard to say where I think I will be in the future, I hope to successfully complete my studies and go onto specialise in a specific area of the trade,” said Rick.

“This may include safety systems, PLC programming or possibly design for commercial work. With the electrical industry so vast, it’s hard to settle for one specific career path when so many aspects interest me.”

NECA New South Wales Executive Director Oliver Judd said the judges were impressed with the development of all three winning apprentices.

“To be named Apprentice of the Year in their individual categories is something, Nick, Yoel and Rick should be very proud of,” said Oliver.

“The judges compared the academic achievements and on-the-job accomplishments from all of the submissions and decided that these three are the best performing apprentices in New South Wales. It’s great to see mature age apprentices excelling in the industry showing that it’s possible for anyone who is committed to make a good start on their electrical career regardless of age.”

The apprentice awards are also held to recognise the important role employers play in training apprentices.

“It’s important to remember that it’s not only the apprentices and training institutions working to build skills in our industry,” said Oliver.

“Many businesses, including NECA Group Training, Austest Electrical Group, Barnwell Cambridge, Bass Electrical Engineering, Bonn Electrics, DESA Australia, Electrical Data Voice Installations, Eris McCarthy, Fredon Industries, R W Palmer Electrical Service, Ryan Wilks, Stowe Australia and TN Electrical, engage apprentices and provide them with the support and opportunities they need to develop the practical component of their trade.

“Without the assistance of the business community, apprentices would not get the on-the-job training that is so important for the future of our electrical and communications industry.”