Kenzy and other electrical apprentices reignite their careers after completing ‘capstone’ training
CQUniversity Electrotechnology student Kenzy Gillespie was one of 12 students who celebrated the completion of their block training at the Mackay Ooralea campus – and he’s eager to see where his career takes him next.
The apprentices undertook a week-and-a-half of ‘capstone’ block training, demonstrating what they’ve learned over the past four years.
They completed several theory and practical applications to design, install, inspect and test to verify an electrical installation is safe and complies with regulatory requirements.
Kenzy, who works for Anglo American said it “felt great” to have completed the theory aspect and move on to completing the practical assessments.
“A lot of us have put in a lot of effort – I’d have to say this is the biggest achievement of our lives so far,” he said.
“We’ve been putting in long days at work and then we all come together on FaceTime to study. We’ve all supported each other to keep up with our studies and put in the hard yards.”
Kenzy finished in the top three of his class. First place went to Nicolas Bell and second to Teagan Carroll.
He said the training and facilities at CQU Mackay Ooralea were beneficial to his job.
“It’s good to have dedicated teachers and top of the range equipment, because if we don’t have the right gear then we don’t really get off to a good start,” he said.
Kenzy and the other students were treated to a celebratory barbecue, sponsored by local firm, Sheriff Electrical Wholesalers, with Business Development Manager Liam Taylor in attendance.
Other visitors included Darren Monks from Clipsal Schnieder Electrical and Pieter Westhuizen from MajorTech to talk to the students about their latest products on the market, whilst the Electrical Safety Officers Chris Smith and Dave Griffiths reminded the apprentices of their obligations under the Australian Standards and safety requirements.
