Ballarat Apprentices honoured for their achievements at 2025 Master Builders Victoria Regional Apprentice of the Year Awards.
Three Ballarat region apprentices have been honoured for the quality of their work at Master Builders Victoria’s Regional Apprentice of the Year Awards, held last night in Ballarat.
Benjamin Janetzki from Horsham was awarded the Ballarat Chairperson’s Award at a celebration on Thursday, February 20 at the Mercure Hotel and Convention Centre in Ballarat, attended by more than 110 guests.
Employed by Winstar Constructions and nominated by Skillinvest, the judges in this year’s awards said Benjamin who is a 4th year carpentry apprentice was a clear winner.
“Benjamin was described as exceptional and enthusiastic by his employer, and we agree. He thoroughly enjoys the diverse nature of carpentry and the daily opportunities to learn new skills and insights,” noted the judges.
Fourth year carpentry apprentice Adam Tomlinson from Scarsdale took home the Ballarat Apprentice of the Year Developing Leader Award.
Nominated by his training provider, Building Skills Centre and employed by Killara Constructions, the judges noted that Adam was a strong nominee with a long-standing interest in developing trade skills.
“Adam took on his carpentry apprenticeship after completing two other apprenticeships in roof tiling and also painting and decorating. He finds great joy in seeing the results of a hard day’s work and enjoys problem solving and critical thinking when things don’t always go to plan,” said the judges.
“With a keen interest in leadership, Adam hopes to to step into a foreman or supervisor role in the near furture.”
The final award of the night, the Ballarat Apprentice of the Year Craftsperson Award was awarded to Zachary Fraser, a 4th year cabinet making apprentice from Gymbowen.
Zachary is employed by Schier Cabinet Makers and was nominated for the award by the Murray Mallee Training Company.
The judges noted that Zachary’s passion for cabinet making was immediately evident, after he initially started an apprenticeship in carpentry before discovering an unexpected passion for kitchen installations.
“Zachary enjoys getting to work on both domestic and commercial projects and looking to the future, he’s excited to step into a managerial role where he hopes to share his passion for cabinet making with newer apprentices.”
Apprentices nominated for the awards were judged on their preparation and presentation, work experience, knowledge and career plans, attitude on and about the job and industry representation, by a panel of industry judges.
Master Builders Victoria CEO, Michaela Lihou congratulated Benjamin, Adam and Zachary on their awards, noting the strength of this year’s nominations.
“As we continue to travel across Victoria with these awards, it’s incredibly heartening to see the talent pool of tradespeople that is flourishing in regional Victoria. With plenty of work on the horizon and a current shortage of tradespeople, we’d love to see more men – and women – think about a trade apprenticeship as a rewarding and viable career path,” she said.
The Ballarat winners will go on to the overall Victorian State Apprentice of the Year Awards being held at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
