If anything’s likely to make you reconsider your career choice, then clambering up an external ladder to repair a light fitting at the top of a soaring 35m light tower is probably it.
But the nerve-wracking ascent doesn’t faze Port Taranaki apprentice electrician Willie Southorn.
“I generally don’t mind it – just clip the harness on, climb up, and try not to look down or notice the tower swaying in the wind!”
It’s just one of the 21-year-old’s many and varied jobs as he nears the end of his three-year apprenticeship, which grew from work experience as part of the Gateway workplace training programme while at Francis Douglas Memorial College, to a fulltime job and a promising electrical career.
The port’s maintenance team has been a strong supporter of the Gateway programme, giving a number of school students a career taste. Willie impressed with his attitude and ability, and was the first able to transition the opportunity into a fixed-term apprenticeship.
“I’d tried different trades at school, including building, but I really liked the electrical work. I did some residential electrical work experience and then came to Port Taranaki, which I found more interesting as it was working on a range of things, such as motors and transformers, and working on the tugs and pilot launches.”
Although he clearly has a head for heights, the Ōkato native, who enjoys spending time surfcasting along the Taranaki coast, going to the gym, and playing piano and guitar, has his feet firmly on the ground.
“I’ve got my final exams at the end of the year, so I’m focusing on those and am excited about becoming qualified.”
What does your role involve?
Day-to-day it’s working alongside a qualified electrician and learning as much as possible. We work on a range of things, such as preventative maintenance and fixing breakdowns, and new projects as well, such as recently installing new sector lighting for vessel navigation, and wiring new light towers. Lately, I’ve also started doing some jobs independently, which is nice.
What do you like about the role?
I like that it’s interesting work and there’s a good mix. I’m getting industrial electrical experience, but also some residential-type experience as well through the likes of installing power points and light switches. You get puzzled fairly often too, so you have to work through the problem and find a solution, which I like doing.
What are the challenges?
When breakdowns happen, it gets pretty busy rushing around trying to get things back going so they don’t hold up port operations.
