Building Industry News

Central Coast third-year building apprentices, Nick Gualtieri and Billy-Joe Cilia, were presented with Awards for Excellence in Certificate III Carpentry, at Ourimbah TAFE in early October.

Both apprentices are employed with Terrigal-based building company, Advantage Building, which considers the support and training of apprentices a core part of its business philosophy.

“The award acknowledges Nick and Billy-Joe’s competency and passion for their trade as carpenters,” said Dean Turnbull, Director of Advantage Building. “They both came to us this year as apprentices and it’s very gratifying to watch their skills develop and their careers take off.”

Mr Turnbull said that Advantage Building has been committed to training apprentices since the company’s inception in 2002 and attributes its ongoing success largely to the good-will generated by supporting the community in which it operates.

“We are fast becoming one of the leading residential building companies on the Central Coast,” said Mr Turnbull. We specialise in architecturally designed homes, extensions and renovations and have six major projects on the go at present and support up to five apprentices at any one time.”

“The building industry on the Central Coast is small and the fall-out of the economic downturn has left its mark. It’s been tough watching so many businesses go under, not to mention the flow-on effect on suppliers, employees and sub contractors,”

 Mr Turnbull said, “We felt strongly about helping where we could, by offering employment to apprentices who found themselves without a job, and allowing them the opportunity to continue on in the industry.”

Advantage Building has worked with apprentices as young as 16, supporting them while they combine work, TAFE and the completion of their HSC studies. Many of their apprentices have gone on to use their carpentry skills overseas, while others are now working towards becoming foremen within the company.

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