TRAINEE florist Nicole Keeber shows off some of her creations. Photos supplied
A YOUNG Whakatane woman has been selected to compete at the 2016 National WorldSkills Competition being held in Hamilton later this month.
Nineteen-year-old trainee florist Nicole Keeber says she’s nervous, but very excited about the event, which will see her compete against trainee florists from throughout the country.
Studying floristry in Auckland this year, and commuting home most weekends, Nicole says she’s loving the industry after being introduced to floristry by her high school Gateway programme.
The former Whakatane High School student says she had no idea what she was going to do when she left school, so took part in Gateway and tried a few different things.
“I wanted to do something creative, and from the day I first tried floristry work, I was in love with it.”
Representing the Auckland region, Nicole will compete in the event that sees top apprentices and trainees from a wide range of industry taking part.
Competitors will be vying for the top prize, a place in the national team, which will travel to the 44th WorldSkills International Competition in Abu Dhabi next year.
Positions on the team, known as the Tool Blacks, are highly sought after. Chief executive of WorldSkills NZ, Malcolm Harris, says the international competition is like the “Olympics of the trades”.
“The event attracts thousands of competitors across a multitude of trades, and global sponsors, such as Samsung, often recruit from the top talent there,” he says.
The National WorldSkills competition takes place from September 30 to October 2. The International WorldSkills takes place in October next year.
