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Nelson apprentice glazier tops the country

Thursday 17 June 2010, 11:17PM

By Melanie Cooper

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GANZ Cup winner Ross Holmes - the Nelson glazier has topped the country
GANZ Cup winner Ross Holmes - the Nelson glazier has topped the country Credit: John-Paul Pochin

NELSON

Glazier Ross Holmes has beaten stiff competition to win this year’s GANZ Cup, recognising him as the country’s most promising glass apprentice.

The Glass Association of New Zealand Cup was presented to Holmes at the GANZ Annual Conference held in Rotorua this week [Friday 18 June].

Deb Paul, Chief Executive for the Joinery Industry Training Organisation (JITO), says Holmes, who is working towards achievement of his National Certificate in Glazing, was not only successful as first in class for his block course but is also to be congratulated for his place as the “Most Promising Apprentice” from all 2009 block courses.

“He was highly ranked for his positive attitude to learning, merit in theory work and excellent aptitude for the practical skills that the job demands. His results saw him finish ahead of 42 other students last year.”

“Employees like Ross reward their company’s investment with higher productivity and the assurance that their customers are being offered work that adheres to best industry practice,” adds Paul.

Holmes has been working with glass for 15 years but says it is only since he joined Smith&Smith in Nelson that he has been given the chance to go through a proper apprenticeship.

“I started in glass when I was 21, but it was on-the-job training only. Rather than just being a ‘journeyman’ I wanted to be certified and Smith&Smith has supported me through the whole thing.”

The apprenticeship is quite a commitment entailing 8000 hours and three block courses throughout the training term.

Initially the attraction was the ready supply of work but Holmes says working with glass has also proved to be a varied and challenging career.

“Just when you think you have it all mastered – when you think you’ve seen it all before, something new pops up that you have to get your head around. It keeps it interesting.”

Smith&Smith Nelson branch manager John Blight says: “It’s a fantastic award to win and reflects Ross’ focus and skill.”

Holmes’ win is not the only significant accolade for the Nelson branch. In 2008, Kerry Martin won the Smith&Smith national vehicle glazing competition and finished runner-up in the global Best of Belron competition.

Belron is the parent company of Smith&Smith and is the world’s leading vehicle glass repair and replacement company with 24,000 employees in 32 countries.

Smith&Smith Operations Director Mark Morgan says the company is extremely pleased with the Nelson branch’s performance, which he says shows the value of investing in technical training and apprenticeships.

“It’s not easy releasing people from work for three weeks at a time so they can study but we realise that the commitment to training is what sets our technicians apart. Belron sets high standards for ‘customer delight’, which is a big step up from customer satisfaction and that’s what we ask of our team. They must always impress and do the job right the first time.”

“Ross’ award is also very pleasing because a lot of customers know us as the people that fix automotive glass, but this recognition shows we are just as strong in building glass.”

Smith&Smith has 365 technical staff around New Zealand working at 23 corporate branches and 50 authorised dealers.