Gap year put building on the map for top apprentice Jess Nielsen

Wednesday, 8 November 2023

Becoming a builder wasn’t on Jess Nielsen’s radar when she finished school. Now she’s competing to become New Zealand’s apprentice of the year.

Nielsen never really saw building as an option during high school because the school she went to focused on academic courses and creating a pathway to university.

A gap year and a stint doing some labour changed that.

“I ended up doing a bit of labour, and then I decided that was the path I wanted to go down instead of university, and yeah, so now I’m here,” Nielsen says.

A keen skier, she moved from Auckland to Taumarunui to get out of the city, be closer to Mount Ruapehu, and start her apprenticeship.

Nielsen is up on the mountain every weekend during the ski season, where she works as a ski instructor.

She is also a volunteer firefighter, something she picked up because she enjoys helping people and thought it was a good way to meet new people in the town.

If she is working near the station, and the siren goes off for a call-out, her boss lets her go to the station and respond with the brigade.

“It’s kinda hard for [my boss] because he doesn't really know if I'm going to be five minutes or six hours.”

Neilsen started her apprenticeship in 2021 and says working in a small crew means she gets to do a lot of different things, and the team works on a wide range of jobs.

“I’ve really enjoyed it, I think it has been a really good place for me to do my apprenticeship,” she says.

Nielsen will compete in the National Registered Master Builders Apprentice of the Year competition this week after winning the Waikato regional competition.

The regional stage consisted of a two-hour practical challenge where they were tasked with building a step stool, an interview with a judging panel and an on-site visit.

The judges of the Waikato competition said Nielsen showed great focus and technique with her tools.

“She is very accurate in her work, shows excellent competency and her project was finished to an extremely high standard.

“At her site visit, Jess proved she was a well-rounded apprentice with a clear passion for the trades and a drive to perform. Jess is an impressive apprentice.'

Nielsen is the only female in this year's competition, but says the male dominance of the building industry is not something she thinks about too much.

“My experience has been very normal, I just get treated the same as everyone else. I haven’t had to think about it in that sort of way. I just feel like it's an even playing field and just normal.”

She is excited about the national competition and says after her win in Waikato she just wants to enjoy the challenge and anything else from here on out is a bonus.

Following the competition, she is planning to move to Wanaka to continue her apprenticeship.

Her goal, for now, is to get qualified. Then, setting her sights a bit further down the road, it’s to run her own company.

But before that, she will take on the country’s top up-and-coming builders for the title of Apprentice of the Year in Auckland on Thursday and Friday.