Joining the dots
Scholarship winner making the most of his time at NMIT.
Apprentice to boss in 4 years
Just four years after being crowned the Registered Master Builders Apprentice of the Year for the Upper South Island, Nelson's Nick Skeggs is running a thriving building business of his own.
It has been a rapid advancement for the 26 year old who, soon after leaving school, had his sights set on becoming his own boss.
Skeggs is now employing apprentices from the same carpentry course he finished at Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) in 2011.
Since starting his company, Elevation Construction, last year, Skeggs has built a business running two building gangs of three qualified builders and two apprentices.
All of his staff have been students in the NMIT industry-based apprentice system, with the two apprentices still working through their four year carpentry programme.
Skeggs left school after the sixth form to begin his own building apprenticeship. After finishing it, his employers recognised his abilities, appointing him project manager.
"I've always wanted to have my own business", he says.
The business owner says he's handling the transition from employee to boss "pretty well" and there's plenty of work in new residential home building and renovations. "We're flat out".
Skeggs says there were good reasons to employ his own apprentices from the same course he did at NMIT. "The training works pretty well and all the building guys are easy to get on with and know their stuff. They helped me get my first job".
