By Alesha Capone
Werribee carpenter Ben Taylor has been named State Apprentice of the Year by Master Builders Victoria.
Mr Taylor, a third-year apprentice, works for Appetite for Construction and studies at Victoria University Polytechnic.
He said receiving the award was both “a privilege and a surprise”.
“It certainly wasn’t something I was seeking or expecting to win but it feels pretty awesome that my hard work has paid off,” he said.
“I would like to thank my boss Nick Lightfoot for giving me a start as an apprentice and all those I’ve worked with at Vic Uni.”
Mr Taylor said he has never won anything like the Master Builder Victoria’s award in his carpentry career, but when he was in the army as an infantry soldier he won the Most Outstanding Soldier award in his recruit course.
Mr Taylor said he decided to pursue carpentry when he was discharged from the army.
“I’m currently in the process of getting the required study under my belt in order to get my builder’s licence,” he said.
“Once I’ve done that I will be looking to run my own projects with a focus on prefabricated off-site building as I think this is the future of building efficient, cost-effective housing.”
Co-director of Appetite for Construction, Nick Lightfoot, said Mr Taylor was “a very deserving winner” of the Master Builders Victoria award.
“He’s been a real asset to our business and I believe he’s got a great career in the industry ahead of him,” Mr Lightfoot said.
