Enzo Welch awarded 2024 Trimble Karahipi Hangarau/Technology Scholarship: A collective viewpoint
John Heywood 1546
This is the perfect proverb to describe Enzo Welch’s career path which has led him to be the recipient of the Trimble Karahipi Hangarau/Technology Scholarship 2024/25.
Attending Shirley Boys High School during the earthquake period in Christchurch, meant lots of disruption for the then 16-year-old student. The students dealt with the school’s location changing, taking lessons from 12:00 PM until 6:00 PM, and then busing home on wintery nights.
“Lots of students didn't align during that process, we were year 12 in 2012. I felt like I lost motivation to go to class. I took a school holiday job for 2 weeks as a builder’s labourer, and I loved the physicality of it. I worked for a great guy, I was mentored and structured which is probably what I needed. School was tough during the earthquakes so I felt like I was ready to move on, get a trade, buy tools and a vehicle, and gain new skills, which I did,” says Enzo.
Qualifying with his LPB in 2016, his choice to leave school, due to the feeling of limbo after the earthquakes, was a good move. Enzo talks about how he had a very settled time then, with much more motivation and job satisfaction, working on some extensive residential builds sprinkled with a few light commercial projects.
The pandemic of 2020 caused another cross-road for Enzo. Due to the fact that children were home-schooled during this period, he found that he needed to be at home more.
Yet again, adversity turned into a positive. Enzo felt that he needed to pursue a new challenge. So Enzo enrolled at Ara Institute of Canterbury.
“Leaving school early made me feel a bit like I had let myself down. I needed to prove to myself that I could gain further education. Completing the building apprenticeship gave me the confidence to take on more study,“ he shares.
Enzo’s passion for the construction industry naturally took him to study architecture. Ara is the only institution in Christchurch offering a programme in this subject, and Enzo is currently in his final year pursuing a Bachelor of Architectural Studies. He describes that programme as highly valuable, highlighting his studies in technology-focused construction systems, building codes, project management, technical drawing, and communications skills, as being game-changers..
“I found out about the Trimble scholarship through Ara and it stuck out as being a whole construction sector, high achiever type of scholarship. I’ve pushed myself at university, and I really strive for the best results I can. I wanted to see how I matched up with other scholarship applicants. My tutor wrote my reference. I had a bit of ‘imposter syndrome’, but I was encouraged to ‘give it a go’. I wasn’t expecting to get it! And I have also accepted an internship starting after I finish my degree,” says Enzo.
Enzo’s journey from being in Year 12, uncertain about his future, to earning his degree and becoming a Licensed Building Practitioner has been a significant achievement. He believes that his diverse perspective on construction will continue to grow through work experience and exposure to different viewpoints. Approaching his next steps with an open mind, he is eager to apply his skills and experiences to make a positive contribution to the industry.
‘I’m looking forward to continuing to be creative - thinking outside the square. This scholarship has opened the door to these opportunities,” says Enzo.
We congratulate and welcome Enzo to our team as he joins 29 other interns this summer. His focus will be on the mixed reality platform for building construction, Trimble SiteVision.
Watch this space, this man has what it takes to succeed!
If you too want to succeed, talk to our Talent Acquisition Manager, Kipling Brady.
Comments
Post a Comment