After a rigorous judging process, North Construction & Building’s Nelson Florimo was awarded the 2019 Apprentice of the Year at this year’s NSW Training Awards at Sydney Town Hall.

The NSW Training Awards recognises outstanding achievements in the vocational education and training sector.

The awards reward and honour the achievements of apprentices, trainees, students as well as training organisations and employers.

This is one of the most prestigious awards for Nelson, who has picked up several accolades over the years, including 2018 Apprentice of the Year at the 2018 Master Builders Association Newcastle Awards.

Nelson said that the whole experience has been a great learning opportunity.

“The last four years have been an extraordinary experience for me,” Nelson said.

“I never thought I would be in this position and the amount I have learnt from the people around me, and from the industry, has been incredible.”

In 2015, Nelson enrolled as an apprentice to complete his Certificate III in Carpentry with North Construction and Building and TAFE NSW Ourimbah campus.

Unsure of the direction he wanted to go in after school, Nelson said his introduction with North Construction proved he was in the right place.

“I recognised after my first interview with the team at North that I was moving in the right direction,” Nelson said.

“North provided an early introduction to taking on more responsibility and offered a strong support network from my apprentice manager and colleagues across the business up to senior management.

“It is a great environment to learn and excel, particularly given that I set my goals right from the start.”

Nelson’s character and talent was immediately recognised by the North team.

North Construction and Building Apprentice Manager and company shareholder, Grant Cameron, said the ambition Nelson has is what makes him a stand-out employee.

“From the day we interviewed Nelson, we knew he had something,” Grant said.

“There was a drive and ambition with him that is rare. He is easy to work with and if you give him an opportunity, you can watch him take it on and flourish. People like him don’t come around very often.”

With approximately ninety-five full-time staff across offices in Newcastle and Tuggerah, North has a rich history of investing in work placements, trade apprenticeships and construction management cadetships.

They have gone above and beyond, with current staff participating in one of the workplace learning programs making up twenty-five per cent of all North employees.

By doing this, the company have been able to maintain a strong, positive culture founded on well understood and practiced values as it continues to grow.

At the same time, this support and training investment in people commencing their career, strengthens the overall construction industry.

North Corporate Services Manager, Nicole Redmond, said the whole team are incredibly proud of Nelson and his achievement.

“He has always had a notable initiative to grow personally and professionally. He is also dedicated to supporting and developing others starting out in the industry by incorporating training and coaching into his various roles on site – something that supports our industry as a whole,” Nicole said.

Reflecting on his time at North Construction and Building, Nelson said he felt very lucky to be part of such a motivational team.

“I feel very lucky to be part of a growing organisation, whose vision is motivational to everyone in the business. This was evident from when I first started my apprenticeship and follows on to today, North’s values are clear and have continued to give me an eagerness to learn more about the industry,” he said.

The NSW Training Awards are conducted annually by the NSW Department of Education to recognise outstanding achievement in the vocational education and training sector.

North Construction and Building were also named Medium Employer of the Year at the Australian Training Awards in 2018.

Other local winners included Group Training Organisation HVTC and Service NSW who topped the 2019 Industry Collaboration Award category as a result of the Traineeship Program, which will now see them shortlisted as a
finalist for contention at the Australian Training Awards this November.

IMAGE | Nelson Florimo walks away with Apprentice of the Year award at the 2019 NSW Training Awards.