An off-hand chat on a building site opened up a new career opportunity for Fenn Battersby, only he didn’t know it at the time.
Fenn was recently out of school and working with his brother clearing building sites for a Christchurch housing company when he had a passing conversation with Selwyn Drainage Ltd owner Dane Willis.
“The funny thing is I don’t actually remember it,” Fenn says of the conversation that would set him on a new path. When he bumped into Dane again a year or so later “he said if I ever wanted a drainlaying apprenticeship he’d have one for me. “I guess he just saw something in me.”
After a little more time trying his hand at different jobs, Fenn took Dane up on his offer and is now in his first year of a drainlaying apprenticeship through EarnLearn while working at Selwyn Drainage and he’s loving it.
“I always wanted a job where I could work with my hands and this just really suits me. I love that everything on the job happens quite fast especially compared to something like building.
“With laying, the job’s often done in a day or two.”
A typical day starts at the Selwyn Drainage yard around 7am, loading the truck before heading to site. From there, the Fenn helps check heights, and prepares the site. He’s also usually the team member called on to dig out trenches.
“I’ve also just started laying, so that’s definitely a new highlight for me. I really like that,” he says.
Learning on the job is backed up by support from the wider Selwyn Drainage team and EarnLearn account manager Lenore Wright.
Fenn says he can ask for help whenever he gets stuck, and his foreman, colleagues and particularly boss Dane, are quick to offer advice and support.
“They’ve all been through an apprenticeship and know what it’s like,” he says.
Fenn is finding the EarnLearn training manageable alongside his work. He appreciates being able to complete his learning online rather than working through paper-based books, fitting study in after work or on Saturdays.
He adds that it’s great to have Lenore on the end of the phone to help when he has a problem or gets stuck. Regular catch-ups with Lenore also help him stay on track with his training.
Looking ahead, Fenn is focused on completing his apprenticeship and hopes to one day become a foreman. He’s also keen for more people to consider drainlaying as a career.
“I’d say definitely get into it,” he says.
The variety of work also means there are often opportunities to try something new. Recently, Fenn worked on a skate park project, gaining experience with larger-diameter pipe in a commercial setting.
“I’d never worked with that stuff before, so it was cool,” he says.
