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Army apprentices savour WorldSkills experience
4 December 2007
Army apprentices, Sapper Luke Boutstridge and Corporal Josh Comerford are still buzzing from representing New Zealand at the Olympics of trade training in Japan recently.
Luke, an apprentice electrician, achieved a Medallion of Excellence and Josh, a steward, was placed in the top 20 in the restaurant services section. But the real gains were just being there and competing on the world stage, they say.
Both admit the opportunity to attend WorldSkills is a once in a lifetime event, and one of their proudest moments was performing an impromptu haka in front of a crowd of 35,000 – which included the Imperial Crown Prince of Japan.
“The kiwi team was given a standing ovation – we were the only country to do anything like that – the spotlight was really on us,” says Josh.
WorldSkills International is the biggest vocational skills competition in the world held every two years. And just like the Olympics - the competitors aim to give the best performances of their lives while judges meticulously scrutinize every detail. For Luke, the medallion was a great achievement. But the nerve-racking part was working against the clock and hoping that everything would work when steely-eyed judges threw the ‘on’ switch.
“In the end I had to sacrifice neatness for functionality. It was such a relief when everything worked – especially since a huge crowd had gathered round and cameras were everywhere.”
Luke encourages everyone to get involved and enter the regional competitions.
“Sometimes you don’t know that you’ve got what it takes until you are actually in competition. I would never have thought I would made it this far.”
For Josh, training for the competition in New Zealand and then attending the world event has given him opportunities that he’ll always be thankful for.
“If I hadn’t taken those opportunities, I might be forever saying, what if?”
One of his highlights was serving the President of the Japanese Hospitality and Tourism Association.
He loved the competition and says that anyone with real passion and core skills can aim to be at future events.
“It’s also rare that you can wear the silver fern for your country for something other than being a sports star.”
Other Army personnel in the Kiwi team were Warrant Officer Class Two Paul Lomas from Linton Camp. He is a qualified maintenance fitter and was one of 31 judges and deputy chief expert for the welding section of the competition.
Warrant Officer Class Two Barry Warner, currently posted to HQ NZDF in Wellington, was one of 31 judges in the electrical section. This was his first time as a WorldSkills judge.
Sixteen judges, 14 competitors and three officials made up the New Zealand team.
WorldSkills sets international class standards in more than 45 skill categories ranging from cabinet making to web design.
This page was last reviewed on 11 December 2007 and is current.
