As a student at St Peters College Auckland, Josh was a passionate rower. His involvement in the sport and an enthusiasm for boats created an interest that Josh decided to pursue as a career. Enter Tracey Eaton, NZMAC ITO Transition Advisor for the Launch it, School to Work programme. Tracey visited Josh at school to discuss the marine and composite pathway options. Traditional boat building was the area Josh chose to explore and introductions followed by work experience organised.

Josh had a comfortable mix of work for one day per week while still attending school. After a couple of months, his mind was firmly made up and this was the industry for him. His sights were set on an apprenticeship and armed with the confidence and knowledge that his work experience placement provided, Josh applied to Emirates Team NZ. The rest is history.

Josh highly recommends the Launch it, School to Work programme and says he wouldn’t have had the insight in to the numerous opportunities that the industry offers without it. He says the initiative allowed a taste of the real world outside of school and he was able to see how rewarding work could be. As an apprentice composite boat builder and surrounded by highly skilled tradespeople, Josh says that learning new techniques and seeing his skills develop as he progresses through his apprenticeship, has been highly rewarding.

Being part of the ETNZ team building the foiling AC75 Te Aihe, comes with its challenges but he enjoys the fast paced work, where accuracy and attention to detail are key. It is certainly an exciting time to be involved in the next challenge, where innovation and state of the art technology are showcasing the NZ Marine industry to the rest of the world.