Twenty-year old Whangarei automotive technician apprentice James Gamble has a simple game-plan: to work as hard as he can while he is young so he has choices later.
His strategy has paid off much sooner than he thought - he has been named Motor Trades Association Apprentice of the Year for
Northland, just 10 months after officially starting his apprenticeship with Keith Andrews Trucks of Rewarewa Rd.
He is already half-way through the study requirements of the 300-point three-year course, thanks to hard work and being able to cross-credit 70 points from the pre-trade course he completed at Northland Polytechnic. He did the workplace component of the pre-trade course at Keith Andrews Trucks and the company offered him an apprenticeship as soon as a vacancy came up.
James almost enrolled for musical training at tertiary level - he plays guitar in a band at Kamo Alive Church and dabbles in harmonica and piano - but opted for a life of overalls, oily rags and complex engine parts after enjoying an automotive class at Otamatea High School. Outside work his time is mopped up by music and study. He admits that picking up his books is the last thing he feels like sometimes but said: "I just want to get qualified and maybe go overseas after a few years work experience."
