Trust Horizon lights the way to electrical career for former Whakatāne student

Zavier de Vries

Each year, Trust Horizon supports promising Eastern Bay students into careers in the electrical industry, with the Brian Ponting Apprentice Award. This year’s award went to former Trident High School student, Zavier de Vries. 

18-year-old de Vries first got a taste for the electrical industry while gaining work experience with a local electrician. In year 11, his interest was further cemented when he completed the Trust Horizon Taster Course – during which he earned the Top Trainee award. 

Co-funded by the Trust and Connexis, the week-long course immersed ten year 12 and 13 students into the ins and outs of the electricity supply industry. “The course really broadened the scope of opportunities available, and made it clear that electrical was the path I wanted to take,” says de Vries. 

For those on the path towards an electrical apprenticeship who may not have fulfilled the entry requirements, the pre-trade 12-day ETCO (Electrical Training Company) Elite Programme is able to bridge the gap. As the recipient of the Trust Horizon Brian Ponting Apprentice Award, de Vries received $3,600 to go towards the cost of the course. 

With Trust Horizon’s support, de Vries completed the programme in April, and is now hard at work in his apprenticeship at the Whakatāne Board Mill. “The course was great,” he says. “It was 12 days of learning both hand tools as well as theory, which was so valuable before starting my apprenticeship.”

Trust Horizon Trustee David Glover explains that de Vries was a clear choice for this year’s award. “Zavier is an honest and hard-working young man, with a clear passion and commitment to a career in the electrical industry,” says Glover. “We have no doubt he has a bright future in the industry, and we look forward to seeing what he achieves.”

Start here to learn more about how we create career pathways with our apprenticeships.