Philip zaps into Electricians Apprentice finals

Congratulations to ākonga Philip Anderson who has qualified for the national finals of the Master Electricians Apprentice Challenge, due to be held in Queenstown at the end of October.

27 year old Philip is an electrical apprentice with Aotea Electric Southern in Dunedin, studying towards a New Zealand Certificate in Electrical Trade (Level 4) through Otago Polytechnic and EarnLearn. 

Philip won the Industrial category at the Otago & Southland competition earlier this month, in the first time he's competed at the event.

The regional heat was held at OP's Dunedin campus (in He Toki Kai Te Rika / T Block), and saw around 35 electrical trades apprentices being put to the test over two days

Challenges included electrical fault-finding, switchboard building, switch wiring, cable joining and industrial electrical equipment installation.

Otago Polytechnic apprentices completed the podium at the regional event in the Industrial section, with a strong second placing by Scott Fleck (Switchbuild) and a third place for Casey Henry (Aotea Electric).

Scott Fleck (Switchbuild) - 2nd place, Industrial (Otago/Southland heat)

The national challenge is run by Master Electricians, with more than 300 apprentices from across the country competing over seven regional locations.

It's a huge achievement for Philip, as only the top 5 from the Industrial and Domestic/Commercial categories across the regional heats earn the chance to compete at the national finals.

Best of luck to Philip as he prepares for the intense competition over two days in the grand final at The Millennium Hotel in Queenstown (October 30/31).

Philip Anderson & Casey Henry (Aotea Electric Southern) - 1st & 3rd places, Industrial (Otago/Southland heat)