Sparks fly – electrical apprentice wins top national award

(From left: Kent with his Switchbuild Ltd colleagues - Michael Cummings, Kent Marshall, Brendan Legg, Jodine Mackenzie)

This is the first time someone from Otago has won this category.

Kent has won the Otago Regional Master Electricians Apprentice Challenge in the Industrial Section for three consecutive years and, after scoring the highest in New Zealand this year, qualified for the national finals.

The Excellence Awards showcased the best electrical projects in Aotearoa and a range of challenges were held for the apprentices across a couple of days. Competition was tight but Kent held his nerve to clinch the top spot, which came with a generous prize pack sponsored by companies like Milwaukee.

Kent has also now qualified to enter the World Skills Competition in Germany during 2025.

Kent joined Switchbuild Ltd as an Electrical Apprentice after graduating from Otago Polytechnic with a Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Electrical). He is now completing a New Zealand Certificate in Electrical Trade (Level 4), while building his skills and knowledge through an apprenticeship under the guidance of Brendan Legg, Andrew Clark and the team from Switchbuild.

Kent will complete his electrical apprenticeship and become a registered electrician by the end of this year.